Fish Out of Water
by Cloaked Vampire
Summary: Mating season is right around the corner for all those merpeople under the sea, which means Prince Ryou must choose a mate. Well, he doesn't like the idea of a female. So, what's he to do? Get himself captured, of course. Yaoi, BR
1. Choose A What? !

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 1: Choose A What!

Disclaimer: How… AWESOME… would it be, to be a merperson. I mean, seriously XD That would kick royal ass. Oh. Right. I don't own YuGiOh. But, you already knew that didn't you, you smart, smart person.

-

"Young Prince! Young Prince, please! Wait a moment!"

Ryou sighed lightly, pausing in his movements and looking over his shoulder.

"Malik, I told you…" He waited until the larger male caught up with him, a few bubbles forming from his own motions. "Please don't treat me as a royal when there's no one around."

The merboy made a face at him, his blonde locks swirling behind his head. He lifted one of his olive-skinned hands, pointing a long digit towards Ryou's face. "Now, Prince Ryou, don't think that I don't take my duties as your guardian seriously," Ryou noticed that the finger his friend was wagging at him was pointing discreetly back towards two palace guards who were swimming up to them, "Because I most certainly do!"

Ryou made an annoyed face back at Malik in understanding and apology, turning his body fully and moving forward with a small flick of his billowing tail.

"What is it?" He studied the two men, crossing his arms and giving them his best 'why-are-you-daring-to-bother-me' glare.

Both guards bowed respectfully, before one spoke: "The King and Queen both request your presence, little Prince. We're here to escort you."

Ryou huffed, his white hair seeming to fluff out behind him in a small fit of anger.

"I am not little! And I don't need an escort." He grabbed Malik's hand, before pulling the other away from the two guards, swimming back towards the large palace he had resided in since birth.

-

"My son, as I'm sure you are fully aware, our mating season is coming soon and you, of all people, need to choose a female." King Roden spoke from his golden throne, a solemn expression carved on his face. "I have given you plenty to time. Have you chosen yet?"

Ryou winced slightly, sinking down on to the floor below the throne, "No…"

"Ryou, this is important!" Roden scowled, his fingers tightening slightly on the ends of his chair arms. "It is essential to the continuation of our royal bloodline that you mate when the time is right!"

Emerald eyes narrowed slightly in hurt, "But father, you know that I don't - !"

"Your tastes will _not_ be brought up and discussed!" The king's voice become louder in anger and he began to rise from his seat, when a pale hand gently gripped his arm. Dark green eyes stared up at the older man, a small shake of silver locks making him sit again.

"Ryou, hunny…" Sara moved from her husband's side and to her son's, her purple fin curling around him affectionately, "We know that you have a… well, a problem… taking up affection with a women, but sweetie… we need you to keep our people in a strong bloodline."

The young male began to scoff at his mother's choice of words, when he was silently hushed by her arm around him. He finished with a grumble, sinking lower into her soft embrace, "Why can't you make Amane do it…"

"Amane _is_ doing it as well, Ryou, you _know_ that!" His father interjected, rising fully from his throne. "You will find a female before the next moon fall, or there will be severe consequences for you to pay! That is the end of this discussion!"

A silence descended between everyone in the large room, Malik shifting a bit uncomfortable by the archway. He hated it when the king was upset… the waters always seemed to mirror what he was feeling at the time and Malik really didn't want to sit at the bottom of the ocean just because of a storm…

Ryou didn't respond to his fathers' outburst, instead, tried to pull away from his mother's hold on him. Her hand grabbed his wrist though, pulling him up towards her chair. He found himself sitting down, looking up into the green eyes that were so much like his own.

Sara gently placed a small crown of spiked coral in his white locks, before cupping his face with one of her hands. She smoothed back his bangs for a moment, smiling lovingly down at him.

"You are a prince, Ryou…" The soft smile never left her lips, telling him that she was only trying to comfort him, "And princes must stay strong. There are going to be a lot of things in your life that you don't want to do, but you will have to, do you understand? You just have to make the best of it and then everything will be better. So please… find a female, for me?"

He sighed in defeat and nodded, looking away.

"May I go now?" He asked softly.

The queen nodded in approval, moving out of her son's way. The two watched as Ryou slowly made his way past the archway, Malik soon following with a quick bow.

-

"I'm letting you use my beach house for the summer -"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks and all that, I know, I know."

"No, listen to me -"

"I _know_ already, no wild, drunk parties, no illegal drugs, no trashing the place, keep it spotless, got it."

"Bakura! Shut up and listen to me, damnit!"

Bakura grumbled at the tone, shifting his cell phone to his other hand as he pushed the door to the giant house open, reaching down to pull a suitcase into the marbled walkway.

"Beside the rules you've already had the courtesy to name for me, there's more." His uncle's voice continued through the earpiece, "I have a few maids who come in twice a week to clean up, so even though you should keep the place relatively neat, you don't have to go dusting and straightening books. Don't be anal, which I know you're not."

This brought a short laugh from the nineteen-year old, as he placed another case in the hall from his car. "Yeah, what else."

"In order for you to stay at my house the entire summer, there _is_ a catch."

Bakura shut the trunk of his convertible, his eyes narrowing, "What, a catch? And you're telling me this _now_, after I've just gotten here?"

A small chuckle came from the other line, "Sorry, it slipped my mind before."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm sure."

"Now, just listen boy, it's not that big of a deal." The elder man continued, "I just need you to take my boat out -"

"Ye-eah! Boat trip!" Bakura grinned devilishly, walking back into the house and noticing his bags were already gone. He shrugged, assuming that the today must be one of the days the maids were around. "I'm listening, keep going."

"It's not just a 'boat trip' Bakura, this is serious. First of all, do you know how to even run a boat?"

The young man wrinkled his nose at the furnished living room he had wandered into, "Yeah, I guess… I'll figure it out, don't worry, Ken."

His uncle was silent for a moment, "Fine, just be careful. I need you to lower the nets for a few hours, which is where you can relax out there, and then pull in all you can, alright?"

"Aw man, but I don't wanna…" He whined.

"I'm just asking you to do it _once_ during the summer, that's all. I like to have a large storage of frozen fish for winter. You know how Betty is."

Bakura laughed again, taking a flight of polished stairs to the second floor, "Yeah, I know Aunt Betty… a real fish fanatic."

Ken let out a laugh as well, "Yeah, that's her all right… so, you think you can handle that? Remember, it's just one time out of three months."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so." Bakura pushed his white hair out of his face as the wind picked up, stepping out onto the balcony he had found in his room. "Damn, what did you guys have installed in the back here, a mini lake?" He stared down at the enormous pool below; its wide end narrowing as it curved around a large hot tub.

"Good. I think that's all you need to know." There was a momentary silence, "Any questions?"

Bakura shook his head as he stared out into the ocean, before realizing that his uncle couldn't actually see him. "Nah, I think I'm good."

"Alright, food is bought once a week by a maid, so no need to worry about that… call if you have any problems or anything, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." The teen wandered back into the room he was supposed to stay in, idly gazing around the large room and taking in all of the expensive furniture and tapestry.

"Okay. Have fun. No crazy parties. Enjoy the beach, kiddo." His uncle gave one last laugh.

"Yeah, I will." Bakura put his cell phone back in his pocket, before deciding to give himself a tour of the house. The boating could wait until tomorrow… he'd get it done and have the rest of his summer to do what he pleased.

What that was, though… he had yet to figure out for himself.

-

"Leia!" Ryou swam as quickly as he could, white hair flowing out behind him as he moved. His lower body shifted up and down, purple scales shining in the sunlight filtering through the water, red underbelly scales catching the light every so often. "Leia!"

A young female looked up from the small seahorses she had been playing with, pale red hair spreading out behind her. She watched as two of the boys she had grown up with swam towards her, a look of slight desperation on Ryou's face.

"What is it, guys –" She didn't have time to question the duo, as she was suddenly being pulled by her arms, back the way they had been coming from, "Hey! What's going on?"

"Ryou has to choose a girl to mate with, but you know Ryou, he doesn't want…" Malik began, flicking his golden tail and searching for the right words to keep his friend's secret hidden, "…you know, he doesn't want to be tied down right now… you know?" He looked back at her hopefully.

"Yeah…" Leia looked over at Ryou, "And why am I being dragged into this?"

"Because you love me so much that you're going to pretend to be my mate?" The white – haired prince looked back at his friend, giving her his best, innocent smile.

Leia snorted slightly, "Oh really. And just what do I get out of all this?"

"What do you want?"

The girl grinned darkly, pulling her arms away from the two and giving herself enough of a boost to wrap them around Malik's neck, her weight effectively pinning him down against the sandy bottom.

"I want Malik." She purred, staring down at the wide – eyed boy.

"Wh-what?" Lavender eyes darted up to Ryou, "No way!"

Leia made a face down at him before giving a 'hmph!' and beginning to swim away. "Then screw both of you."

"Okay!" Ryou called out, "Okay, _one_ date with him, will you _please_ help me?" He folded his hands together in a pleading motion.

"What!" Malik sat against the sand in disbelief. He didn't want to date that psycho!

Leia turned halfway, seeming to think the offer over. One glance at the blonde and the pitiful expression he was making made up her mind for her, a devious grin spreading over her lips, "Done."

"No!" Malik fell backwards into a few sparse pieces of seaweed, one arm moving to cover his eyes.

"Come on guys, I want to tell mother that I chose someone and then call it a day. I'm kind of tired."

Leia frowned slightly from the slim chest she had situated herself back on, before nodding, grabbing a hold of Malik's arm and pulling him along a few feet, "C'mon, Maliky. It's show time."

Malik pulled his arm away, wrinkling his nose and moving to swim along side Ryou, "Don't call me that!"

-

Sara watched as Ryou approached her husband, a small smile on her face. It was a bit sad how obvious it was that all three of the friends had banded together and were lying through their teeth about her son's assumed mating session. But, as long as Roden was happy with what he was hearing… she just wanted Ryou to be happy.

"…and after debating with the help of my guardian, I have chosen Leia as my mate, Father." The white – haired prince finished, an innocent smile plastered to his lips. He held the red head around the shoulders, who also wore a happy, yet fake, grin.

"Is this true, Malik?" Roden turned on the blonde, a faint scowl set on his face.

The guardian nodded quickly, "Yes, your majesty."

"Excellent! We will begin the preparations for the mating session tomorrow." The king exclaimed, his scowl gone.

The three smaller beings fell silent in horror, each thinking the same thing: _'WHAT?'_

"But, dear -" Sara began to interrupt, but was silenced by Roden.

"Tomorrow shall be a grand day. Now, off with all of you." The king ushered the three from the room, before retreating into the room connected behind his large chair.

As soon as the teenagers were gone, Sara followed her husband into their room, a frown on her delicate features. "Why did you say that? He's not conceiving with that girl tomorrow!"

Roden turned to face the silver – haired woman, "What?"

"Tomorrow!" She moved closer, placing her hands against her hips and her ventral fins wavering angrily. "You know full well that your son only had to choose a mate, not sleep with one! He does that when he's older and ready for a child, not at seventeen!"

Roden was silent for a moment, "…Oh, right. I suppose I was just too caught up in rushing his mating session."

Sara had to contain the urge to slap her forehead in aggravation, "First thing tomorrow morning, you are telling him what is really going on."

The king ran a hand back into his black hair, "I don't see what the problem is, I thought all boys wanted to mate."

Needless to say, this provoked another, long, argument.

---

To Be Continued

---

Cloaked Vampire: Okay, this will definitely get better. It's my first mer... boy… story o.O So be gentle. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter… we get some interaction going on! Woot!

So, if you're smart and want some Bakura/Ryou, you'll review.


	2. All Those Funny, Shiny Devices

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 2: All Those Funny, Shiny Devices

-

A wide yawn cut the air, mingling along with the squawks of the seagulls floating above on the ocean currents. Bakura laid back in one of the folding chairs he had found by the pool back at his uncle's beach house, a sigh of content escaping him.

This was what he had needed.

A beautiful day with lots of sun and not too much wind, the temperature in the high 80's…

Bakura kicked off his sandals and pulled off his tank top, nudging his black sunglasses down over his eyes. He had finally figured out how to work the boat (after assistance had been offered from local fishermen) and found a decent spot on the ocean, throwing the nets he had found attached to the side into the water. Placing his arms behind his head, he tilted his face towards the sun, relaxing back into the chair.

So now… he waited and enjoyed.

-

Ryou looked around carefully, making sure that there was no one in sight, before kicking his multi-colored tail and moving quickly off the palace perimeters. If his parents were going to force him into a relationship with someone he didn't want to be with, he just wouldn't be around for them to make him do anything. He had come to the decision before he had gone to sleep the night before, planning on leaving before anyone had awakened.

His plan was in motion and working so far; nothing could stop him. He didn't know where he was going, exactly, but he would know when he got there.

"Ryou!"

The sudden voice made the young prince freeze, his body becoming numb with the thought of being caught, even if the tone was hushed. Looking below him, he saw that it was only Malik and relaxed slightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" The blonde questioned as he drew closer.

"I'm leaving." He replied defiantly, "I don't know where I'm going, but it's away from where they force me to conceive when I don't want to, with women I don't want to."

Malik nodded in understanding, "I'll come with you then."

Ryou shook his head, about to argue, when Malik held up a finger and began in a mock- serious voice, "As your royal guardian, Ryou, I am bound by duty to -"

The smaller boy laughed softly, swatting at the tanned finger, before turning and swimming off, "Just shut up and come on then."

-

Malik let out an exasperated sigh, allowing himself sink slightly in the turquoise water and letting out a groan, "My tail hurts… how far have we gone?"

Ryou pushed a white bang out of his face, adjusting the pearl bracelets he wore right after, "I don't know, but pretty far if you're sore."

Lavender eyes lazily scanned the water around them, looking over the schools of fish making their way through the small currents. He shooed away one curious fish that had begun to nibble experimentally at Ryou's large fin, the prince not noticing.

"What are you looking at?"

The second boy didn't answer, only started for the surface, a few yards above them. Malik followed, soon breaking the surface after his friend and looking around.

"Hey, look at that…" Ryou pointed straight ahead, making Malik squint to see what he was motioning towards.

"Looks kinda like…" He trailed off, searching his memory for the right word.

"A boat!" Ryou smiled widely at his friend, before submerging himself once more and starting off towards the white lump on the horizon.

"Ryou, wait!" Malik called, trying to keep up with the energized prince.

"There must be humans on the boat too!"

The blonde didn't like how excited and enthused Ryou sounded about this…

Finally catching up with the white – haired boy, Malik broke the surface again, finding them both a few feet from the large boat. It rocked gently on the waves, the platinum – haired male noticing a thick rope trailing down into the water, but dismissing it as soon as Ryou started to move closer on investigation. A heavy feeling began to collect in his stomach as he watched the prince run his hand over the white surface and look up.

"Did you hear that?" Ryou whispered, still looking up.

"Hear what?" Malik moved closer, straining his ears to hear over the breeze and birds above.

"Shh, listen… I think someone's moving up there!"

The two listened, jumping when the brown rope stationed behind then began to slowly move, the round crane it was attached to groaning above them. They were about to move, when it stopped, catching their attention again. Cursing drew their eyes to the side of the boat again, curiosity getting the better of them both.

"A human?" Ryou's green eyes lit up at the word and Malik shook his head disapprovingly, the two quieting down again to listen.

"Fucking… fish… I hate fish… he's lucky he has such a nice house…" Grunting and more cursing followed the sentence, making both merboys look at each other in slight confusion. "Argh, WORK, DAMNIT!"

Ryou jumped at the shouted words, but grinned wildly none-the-less, now knowing it was a male.

"I've heard about humans," He whispered to the blonde, "Someone once told me that they have a whole bunch of stories and myths about us! You know, like we're some sort of mythical creature or something."

Malik nodded, looking up at the birds that had begun to circle the boat above them, "Yeah, I've heard that too. I've heard that humans are terrible things though… like, Atemu told me once -"

"The shark? You talk to a shark now?"

"Shut up," Malik laughed, "He's not so bad. Anyways, he told me that if I human ever catches a mythical creature," He gestured to both of them, "They'll take them to some huge place they call a research center… and they'll perform horrible experiments on the poor creature."

Ryou stared at him with a mix of curiosity and horror, "Really?"

As Malik nodded, a loud squeak split the air, followed by the shrill squawks and flapping of the seagulls above, as well as a deep grunt from the body on the boat. Both heads snapped to look skywards, seeing the metal pole that was connected to the rope in the water was dipping down towards them, the circular hinge making an attempt to turn.

"What's that noise?" Ryou's eyes darted from the hinge to the rope, his hands covering his ears.

"It's coming from that round thing!" Malik winced and used one hand to point towards the hinge, the other covering his ear as well.

Ryou noticed that whatever the rope was attached to was stuck on something under the water.

"It's stuck!" The white – haired boy looked towards his friend, before diving under and following the length of rope. Noticing that Malik had followed him, he called back, "If it doesn't get free, the human's boat will tip!"

"This is a bad idea, Ryou!" The platinum – haired boy shouted back, "Just let him fix it himself!"

The young prince turned to face his friend, a frown on his face, "If that was you up there, would you want help?"

Not waiting for a response, Ryou turned again, spotting what looked like a net and the silhouette of a figure next to it.

"Hey!" Malik suddenly rushed past the prince, heading straight towards the figure, "Atemu, is that you?"

Another tanned figure looked up from the net he held in his grasp, golden bangs wavering in front of his face, "Malik?"

"Atemu, let go of it!" The blonde settled next to the crimson – eyed male, pulling on the rope.

"You're going to tip the boat up there!" Ryou added, trailing a few feet behind and pointing up towards the surface.

"It was stuck on something." The shark replied, grabbing one of the fish trapped inside and holding it between his teeth, giving one last tug on the net, "I wash tryhing to geht it loosh."

The net suddenly sprang free and Atemu and Malik were both knocked back, the rope immediately springing upwards.

Emerald eyes widened drastically, the wind being knocked out of him as he found himself suddenly lying on his stomach, the water rushing against him and the fish below him squirming and wriggling to free themselves.

"Malik!" The young prince gasped to breath and clawed at the netting, the water moving too fast for him to take in any oxygen, "MALIK!"

"Ryou! Ryou, hold on!" Malik kicked his yellow fin as hard as he could, trying desperately to catch up with the net that held his best friend captive. He heard cursing coming from Atemu as he moved beside him but didn't pay attention, only focused on the spot where the net had disappeared out of the water.

Ryou could feel himself becoming dizzy as the water seemed to rush against him faster. The motion was suddenly gone and he felt his body gasping as his lungs kicked in again, the gills behind his ears closing. A gust of cold air covered his slick body as he left the water, feeling his form shivering as well. The last thing he remembered was a sharp jolt as he stopped moving upward, swaying back and forth in the wind as his eyes closed.

-

Bakura felt himself loose his balance and slip onto his back as the boat tilted backwards, the net finally emerging from the water and bobbing slightly as it wavered in the ocean breeze. A scowl formed on his lips as a spray of water from the fishing net covered him, and he proceeded to wipe the liquid from his eyes as he got to his feet. Cursing as he saw a small hole quickly getting large on the side of the net, Bakura quickly grabbed a hold of the rope attached to the crane. He pulled on it until the straining net was positioned over the wet deck and let the fish drop down, the hole ripping open further and spilling its blue and silver contents over the polished surface.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the teen leaned forward against the rope he still held, closing his eyes. At least they spilled into the boat…

The sound of shallow breathing caught his ears, making his eyes snap open.

What the hell…

Letting go of the rope, Bakura looked over the mound of fish that were still in the sagging net. Stepping to the side, his eyes widened slightly, his feet slipping out from under him again as he let out a shout. Landing hard on his backside, the white – haired boy scrambled backwards a few feet, staring at the body that lay motionless, back against the side of the net.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Bakura slowly climbed back to his feet, carefully stepping over the twitching fish and making his way back over to the knotted rope. It seemed to be some sort of girl, judging by the length of white hair that was pressed against the net.

Taking the chance that the thing wasn't going to snap at him and take his hand off, he quickly untangled the girl, jumping back when "she" slid down the mound of fish and out onto the deck a few inches.

"Jesus christ…" He breathed, staring down at "her" fish-like body. He moved back next to "her", gently turning the body over. Noticing the lack of chest, a small grin came over his lips, "Whoa… definitely not a chick…"

He looked over his new catch, taking in the smooth, pale skin that covered the young male's flat torso, melting at his waist to purple scales and a red strip that shimmered in the sunlight, long ventral and pelvic fins splaying out against the wet deck. Moving down onto his tail, Bakura couldn't help but reach down to run his fingers against the large purple and crimson colored fin. He jumped slightly when the two smaller fins at the base of his tail twitched and retracted his hand, the sound of birds filling his ears again.

"Ryou!" A sudden voice split the air and Bakura turned towards the side of the boat, "Ryou, are you okay?"

The teenager stood up, quickly making his way to the side and gripping the edge with tight fingers, peering down into the water. A boy sat in the water looking up at him, his black and magenta hair falling onto his shoulders.

"Malik, get down!" He suddenly called.

A tanned body abruptly landed on the side of the boat with a thump and held onto the metal tightly, struggling to pull his body higher, "Ryou!"

Lavender eyes widened, spotting a different white –haired boy staring over at him, pulling a long, black eyepiece from his eyes and settling it back into his hair.

"Give him back, you monster!"

Bakura watched in disbelief as the golden-tailed boy attempted to make a grab for him, but missed, instead slipping back down into the water with a yelp. The second male with the darker hair was gone after that and Bakura shook his head, the birds catching his attention again.

Looking up, he saw that the seagulls were coming back in hopes of grabbing one of the free fish lying on the boat. Cursing to himself, he quickly moved back to the male laying on the deck and scooped the merboy into his arms, finding him to be lighter than he expected. Nearly slipping again, Bakura made his way back to the small cabin, placing the boy back down in the shade. Noticing that he was shaking slightly, the older male looked around blankly for a moment, his mind on too many things at once.

-Warm the kid up.

-Save the remaining fish from the stupid birds.

-Get the hell out of the water.

Blanket.

A blanket would have to be the best option at the moment.

Bakura just about threw himself into the small cabin, lifting up the side bench and grabbing the wool blanket from inside. Quickly throwing it over the slumping fish boy, Bakura ran as fast as he dared towards the squawking seagulls, giving the ones he could catch a swift kick, before quickly figuring out that he was in a losing battle.

Growling under his breath about how much he hated boating now, the white – haired teen jogged past his new catch again and into the cabin, switching the battery on and starting the engine. Without waiting for it to warm up, Bakura pushed the throttle upward as far as he could, hearing the engine roar and the boat take off underneath him, leaving the birds behind.

-

Docking his uncle's boat as quickly as he could without seeming to look suspicious to the other boaters around him, Bakura soon came up with a plan as to how to get his new merboy back to the beach house for further inspection, without anyone prying into what he had caught.

Slipping his sandals on and grabbing his black shirt, Bakura took the blanket off of the still unconscious boy, carefully curling him inside of it, before taking the edges and bringing them together so he could hold it closed. Straightening, the teenager spotted the fisherman who had helped him earlier and shouted out to him, "HEY, EARL, C'MERE!"

As the man left his own boat and came closer, Bakura slung the blanket over his shoulder, trying to look as innocent as possible. He began walking past Earl, while speaking quickly at the same time, "Hey Earl, listen, I kinda need you to do me a favor, see, my load broke and I have to get these fish home for my uncle, so you know Uncle Ken, right? Ken Shataki? Yeah? Great, he told me to ask you to take the fish down to his storage in town, you know, Ken's Fish… thing? Yeah, so, if you could do that, he would seriously appreciate it, thanks!"

He gave a small wave and a large grin, turning around and all but running to his red car. Opening the side door, he carefully placed the bundle in the blanket in the passenger's seat, shutting the door again and moving to the driver's side.

-

Twisting the white knob, the hot water stopped flowing and Bakura stepped away from the cylinder-shaped tub, turning to the thick blanket bunched on the floor. Gently pulling the material away, mahogany eyes roved over the creamy skin of the merboy again, his expression changing to one of slight concern when he saw how dry the purple and red scales were becoming.

Frowning, Bakura slipped his arms around the slim body, carrying him over to the lukewarm bath he had prepared. Letting the body settle gently against the back, he had to restrain himself from removing the white – haired boy from the tub as he slipped completely under the water.

Leaning against the porcelain edges, he stared down at the smaller male, still not quite believing that he was actually staring at a creature that was supposed to only be legend. Reaching into the water with one hand, his fingers caught the small shell that floated from the necklace around the merboy's neck, before letting it go and trailing his fingertips along the flat stomach of the boy, running the backs of his knuckles over the healthier – looking scales.

Retracting his hand, he gave the sleeping boy one last look, before grabbing the soaked blanket from the floor and dragging it from the bathroom. How was he supposed to explain _that_ to the maids…

-

Emerald eyes slowly cracked open, blinking hazily as his mind tried to turn the light surroundings above him into familiar objects. As his senses came back to him quicker, Ryou began to panic slightly, feeling both of his arms press against something hard on either side of him. Giving an experimental kick with his tail, he found that the top of the water was only a few mere inches above him. His body thrashing on its own, he attempted to calm himself soon afterward, Ryou quickly sitting up and gasping deeply as his torso broke the surface.

He gripped the sides of whatever he was sitting in with tight fingers, wide eyes frantically searching the room he was in for any signs of danger. Finding none, the small prince calmed a bit further, grasping only one edge of the hard surface he sat in with both hands, looking around the area with now curious eyes. So many objects he had never seen before littered the room he was, all perking his interest and curiosity further with each passing moment.

His attention was drawn to the sound of someone coming closer to the room he was in and he pushed himself back slightly, eyes trained warily on the closed door. His muscles tensed when as he watched the gold circle on the door turn, a tall male stepping into the room and closing the opening behind him.

The two stared at each other for a long minute, suspicious green eyes targeted on curious mahogany.

Bakura took a small step forward, stopping again when he saw the boy sink lower in the tub. He couldn't help the small grin that came to his lips; he was going to have to treat him like a child in order to get closer.

"Look now…" He held up a hand in an innocent gesture, keeping his eyes connected with the emerald gems across from him. "I'm not gunna hurt you."

White bangs dripped down into the forage – colored eyes, narrowed slightly in distrust.

The human took another step forward, the merboy sinking anther few centimeters.

"I'm not gunna hurt you." He repeated, "Do you think it's okay if I came to sit by you?"

There was a silence for a moment, before a slight nod of the wet head was given, the grin on Bakura's face becoming a bit wider. He moved slowly, sitting down on the edge of the tub.

Ryou backed away as far as he could without taking his eyes off the human, which wasn't all that far at all, more so just sinking lower in the warm water.

"You look cramped in there, now that you're awake…" Ryou shifted slightly as the man began to talk to him, "Is it a tight space for you?"

The young creature looked hesitant to speak, so instead only nodded his head again.

Bakura thought for a moment, before snapping his fingers, making the boy below him jump with a surprised splash.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The older male stood again, holding his hands up in defense, "Chill out, sorry, didn't mean to scare you!"

Ryou pressed his hands against the side of the containment he was currently in. He watched as the human drew closer to him once more, shrinking away when a hand reached for him.

"C'mon now…" The man was leaning against the containment again, his hand gently stroking white locks, "I told you, I'm not gunna hurt you."

The prince sat in silence, muscles tensed and unmoving.

"That water out there's tropical, right?"

Ryou looked up again, nodding for a third time.

"Great," Bakura started to back away, "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Sitting alone once more, he listened as the human's footsteps faded away, before looking around the room once more. He wondered briefly what he had gotten himself into and what would happen to him, before a loud dripping sound caught his attention.

Looking at where his tail fin hung over the edge of the tub, he saw something that made his eyes widen in curiosity.

"Oh, shiny!" He cried, moving his tail away and taking a few minutes to rearrange himself in the tight space, until he was sitting on his tail and able to use his hands freely. Taking another few minutes, he went about investigating the long, silver object that hung over the side of his temporary prison. Tapping it he was delighted when the shiny thing made a hollow, pinging noise, a large and childish smile plastered to his face.

Seeing how the human hadn't returned, Ryou moved on to the two round knobs on either side of the shiny object he had previously been fascinated with. After tapping those as well, he gripped one, giving it an experimental twist. His grin becoming impossibly large, he watched as water began to slowly trickle out of the shiny tube, turning the knob harder.

He sat back, watching as more water gushed out. His smile began to fade though, when he felt the water he sat in quickly dropping in temperature. Looking down at the liquid, he watched as it began to spill over onto the floor below, his eyes widening.

Too cold!

Fumbling to figure out which direction to turn the knob, Ryou shouted out as even more water poured out, his body beginning to shake as the water turned completely cold.

Giving up, the young prince did the next best thing he could think of in his state of panic.

"Make it stop! Human! Make it stop!" He cried loudly, pulling himself desperately over the side of the tub and falling the foot or so to the floor. Thrashing around again, Ryou flipped himself onto his stomach, his hair falling into his face as he pushed himself up, only to slip on the wet tile.

Bakura heard a thump come from his room and felt his stomach drop, turning his attention back to the maid he had finally tracked down. She was giving him a hard time with doing what he had so _nicely_ requested the first time, playing 20-Questions and repeating that this was Mr.Shataki's home.

"Listen to me!" He pointed to himself, running on his last straw of patience, "Mr._Shataki…_ left _me…_ _this house_ for the summer. So just _do_ it and don't question me! I want tropical water in the pool, not chlorine!"

Without waiting for a response, Bakura turned and quickly made his way into his room, his stomach twisting further as he saw water flowing out from under his bathroom door. Pushing the door open, his eyes widened.

Rushing to the tub, Bakura turned the water off, immediately dropping down next to the merboy.

"Hey! Hey, are you alright!"

Hearing his voice, the creature pushed himself up, before slipping again and flopping ungracefully onto the human's knees.

"Human!" The soft voice immediately grabbed Bakura's attention, feeling icy hands press against his bare stomach.

"Jesus, you're freezing!" He quickly pulled the boy into his lap, getting little resistance as he laid the other back into the crook of his arm. Rubbing his shoulder, Bakura tried to warm his catch up, pulling him tighter to his own body.

Standing up, he was careful of the red and purple tail hanging over his arm as he jogged past the doorway, settling the creature into the bed he hadn't bothered to make earlier that morning.

"I know it's not water, but don't move, you won't be here for long and you'll be warm." He placed the blankets over the trembling boy, giving terrified green eyes a reassuring smile.

Moving out onto his balcony, Bakura peered down at the pool, seeing a few of the men who also worked at the house standing around the pool.

"HEY!" He called down, "Hurry it up; my uncle doesn't pay you for nothing!"

Ignoring the grumbling, he walked back to his bed, sitting down next to the lump under his blanket. Lifting up the covers, he peeked below, smirking lightly at the innocent - looking face that stared back at him.

"Warming up?" He asked, pulling the blanket down enough to view the others head.

The merboy nodded slightly, looking away as the hand began to pet his hair again.

"So…" Bakura searched for something to start a conversation with, "Do you… you know, converse at all? Or was 'human' all I was going to get from you."

Emerald orbs met his again at the question, a faint smile making his lips twitch upward.

"I converse." He whispered.

"Will you smile for me first?" Bakura mentally kicked himself. Flirting with a half – fish boy he had just caught? _Brilliant…_

Ryou stared up at the human looking down at him, the hand in his hair stopping its relaxing motions. He could feel his face becoming warmer and looked away.

"Shy, huh?" Bakura chuckled, ruffling the hair under his fingers, "That's okay. You think the pool will be big enough for you?"

His large tail kicked off the blanket that covered him, his body becoming a bit too warm. He sat up a bit awkwardly on the shifting mattress, aware of the eyes that watched his every move. "I have never seen your 'pool'…" He glanced out towards the open balcony, towards the ocean.

Bakura frowned slightly, taking the merboy's distracted moment to look over his body again. He couldn't believe how easily the creamy flesh and shining scales melded together, those long, purple pelvic fins twitching slightly in the air every so often. Tearing his eyes away from the long, scaled body, he looked up, a pair of white pearls surrounding each of his slim wrists, moving past the pale chest, his gaze landing on the spiraled necklace he had noticed earlier.

"Where'd you get that?" He gestured to it.

Ryou pulled himself from his thoughts, looking down at his necklace. He smiled slightly, before looking up, "Mother."

Bakura pulled his legs up, crossing them Indian-style and gesturing again to the other's scaly lower body. "You gunna be okay without water for a little longer?"

Nodding, the merboy pulled his tail a little closer to his body, "As long as I'm not in the sun… I can be out of water a little longer. If I am though… I need to at least be by water."

The elder boy nodded and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, looking over the other male curiously again, "Do I get to know your name now?"

Ryou shifted onto his side slightly, leaning against one hand, "Do I get to know yours?"

Bakura laughed, mentally noting that the boy seemed to be mimicking his movements to a degree, which led to the thought that he was finally relaxing a bit.

"A trouble maker and a smart ass?" The elder cocked his head to the side slightly, grinning, "Not a combination I would expect out of a sweet looking creature like you."

Ryou looked away, making a face, "Appearances can be deceiving."

Another laugh came from the human, making Ryou's features shift into another smile. He liked this human… he wasn't threatening and he was awfully handsome…

His eyes wandered down the bare torso of the male and he could feel his flush returning. He wore some sort of beige article on his waist that spread partially down his lower body, curving out into the two limbs he had tangled under his body.

"May I see?" He asked suddenly, pointing to the appendages he lacked.

Bakura blinked in confusion for a moment, before understanding, "Only if I get your name first."

"Ryou." Said boy watched in fascination as the legs were uncurled and stretched out in front of him, the owner leaning back against his palms.

"Ryou, huh…" Bakura ran the name over his mind a few times, "I'm Bakura and… you do know that you're not supposed to exist, right? I mean… you know, half human, half fish and all."

The smaller boy never looked up from the leg he had lifted up and was currently examining, running his fingers over the bottom of Bakura's foot and examining each toe individually.

"You do know, Bakura, that you're supposed to be a monster. What with all your…" He paused, trying to remember the right words, "Research centers and lab… labor…ories…"

Bakura laughed again, in a mixture of the finger brushing against the middle of his foot again and the struggle to pronounce the word. "Laboratories?"

"Yes, those." Ryou continued his investigation, setting down the leg and scooting closer to move his hand up the other's calf, before meeting the beige – colored material. Frowning slightly, he pushed it up, revealing Bakura's knee, running his hand over it and then pulling it up so that it bent. Doing the same thing to the other leg, Bakura watched in his own curiosity as the merboy settled himself between his parted legs, swift fingers trying to push his cargo shorts up his thighs.

He could feel himself swallow hard, his curiosity to see what the new creature would do next keeping him from telling him that that was enough exploring for one day. When his shorts weren't able to move any further, the merboy seemed to become a bit frustrated.

"I want to see how you split!" He finally looked Bakura in the eye again, a pout on his face.

The elder male could feel himself turning a dark shade of red in sudden embarrassment. It wasn't like him lose his cool and he knew it, making his mind scramble to find the right words.

"You can't see how I split! I mean… I don't split, I just… I don't know, you're making it sound weird!" He finally fumbled, a shaky grin on his lips.

Ryou pouted harder, leaning forward slightly and gripping the rough material on the other's hips. "Please?"

Bakura had to restrain himself from giving in, the thought of such a beautiful creature just sitting between his legs a tantalizing idea. He tried his best to ignore the ache that had begun under the smaller hands, begging to be released and paid attention to.

He shook his head, swallowing again.

"Not… right now, okay. Maybe sometime later, yeah?"

Ryou continued his pout for a few more moments, before the sharp ring of the telephone on the side desk made both of them jump.

Bakura quickly pried the other's fingers from the front of his shorts and untangled his limbs from around the slim body, finally crawling over and bringing the still – ringing object to his ear.

"Yeah?"

The merboy watched in fascination as the human picked up the terrible sounding device and seemed to be speaking to something inside… perhaps it was a pet that needed attention? And it lived in the long object, possibly… though, that did seem rather ludicrous…

"Awesome, tell you what, for doing that, you and the rest of the staff can go home early, 'kay? Leave the place to me." Bakura was silent for another few moments, before agreeing to something else and then setting the strange device down.

He turned back around, finding curious green eyes staring up at him, a surprisingly short distance away.

"What?"

Ryou's gaze flitted down to the phone and then back up, "A pet in need of attention?"

Bakura blinked stupidly for a moment, "Wha… what?" He then laughed, figuring out what the boy was talking about. "A pet? No, no, no, see, that's a phone. You can communicate with other people over it."

"Oh." The white – haired boy tilted his head slightly, taking in this new information.

Standing up from the bed, Bakura wandered away into the bathroom, commenting (mainly muttering to himself) on how cold the water was that still flooded the floor. He looked out one of the windows for a moment, before a grin came over his face and he came back to where Ryou was watching him again.

Scooping the small creature into his arms again, Ryou let out a squeak, immediately clasping his hands to the human's shoulders.

"Where are we going?" His voice seemed a little hysteric, "Research center? Laboratory? Experiments?"

Bakura's brows furrowed in confusion again as he carefully made his way down the staircase, "What? No, of course not! Geeze, I wouldn't give you to those creeps in a million years, so don't worry. You're safe with me, kid."

Ryou seemed to relax a bit after that, his fingers loosening slightly and his back becoming less rigid. "Where then?"

"The pool; you're gunna stay there instead of that cramped tub. Sound okay?" Bakura looked down with a friendly grin.

Nodding slightly, Ryou looked away as a set of doors were opened behind him. His eyes widened when he saw the body of water in the middle of the ground, a smile suddenly on his lips.

"Water!" He struggled to get into the liquid and out of Bakura's arms, said boy trying not to drop him on the pavement.

"Whoa, hang on!" The elder man trotted to the edge, dumping the merboy into the deep end with a splash.

He watched the purple and red form sink lower, before his tail kicked out, sending the shadow out towards the wall. Bakura smiled slightly, taking a seat on the edge and dipping his legs into the warm water. Looking around for the merboy, he didn't see the shadow until it was too late. A body was suddenly in his lap, covering a good portion of him with the liquid, followed by two arms wrapping around his waist.

Bakura cocked a brow down at the smiling male, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Happy to be back in water?"

Ryou nodded, his smile faltering slightly as he noted that the human's hair had an orange tint to it. "You're not going to leave me out here all alone, are you?"

The elder man tilted his head slightly, hesitating for a moment, "…Of course not, I'll stay out here with you."

The smile was back at those words and Bakura couldn't help but grin back as well. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in such a good mood for so long.

"Come in with me?"

The request brought him back and he let himself be gently pulled into the water by the arms around him, taking his black sunglasses down from within his hair and placing them on the cement. Turning his attention back to Ryou, he found him to be back underwater, his scales brushing against his legs. He pushed away from the side, treading water for a moment, before starting towards the shallow end of the pool. He smirked slightly when he felt a fin against his thigh, the smaller albino breaking the surface silently next to him.

Bakura moved at his own pace, while the merboy disappeared and reappeared around him, grinning the entire time. He finally touched his feet to the bottom, nearly tripping when Ryou moved in front of him again, but smirking none the less. He sat down on the stairs that lead into the water, enough so that it only came up to mid-chest. Ryou mimicked his action, taking a seat next to the human.

The two sat in silence for a bit, before Bakura felt a weight lean against his shoulder. Glancing down, he smirked slightly, seeing Ryou pressed against his side, eyes closed.

"Tired?"

A small grunt answered him, making his smirk grow slightly. Bakura carefully slipped up another step, enough to lay his upper body on the ground and not drown himself, a yawn escaping him. As he curled himself into a comfortable position and laid his head down in his folded arms, he felt the water shift around his waist again, the feeling of another body settling next to him.

Cracking open his eyes, he watched as Ryou scooted closer and took the same position he was in, a small smile on his lips as he nuzzled his head into his own arms. Letting out a soft sigh, he whispered, "Thank you."

Bakura yawned once more, closing his eyes again, "Yeah, sure thing, kid."

It wasn't even eight, but he was damn tired.

---

To Be Continued

---

Cloaked Vampire: How was that? This was 17 pages, people. SEVENTEEN. That's… wow, 10 more pages than I normally write a chapter. It better have been halfway decent. Please, let me know in a review. I need the feedback to continue.


	3. A Bold Move From Both

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 3: A Bold Move From Both

-

Mmkay, so, seems like you guys have some questions about Ryou. I thought I explained some of these things in the story and I usually don't do this, but I'll get into it a little more just for you, cuz I like this story:

- I'm not sure where I'm going with Malik and Leia yet. You'll just have to wait… just like me.

-Bakura and Ryou is the main pairing… I doubt there will be any other pairings… maybe I'll mention one somewhere… no idea yet.

-Bakura's a human. A normal, teenage human. With… Bakura-like traits. : )

-Uhm… the, 'gametes' of a merperson… the only way I can think of answering that is to think of how a dog's works o.O

-I heard mermen eat lots of meat and love beer.

-Ryou can breathe under and above water. It's kinda like in the movie Waterworld… he's got gills behind his ears to breath underwater and breaths like normal human above.

Okay… I think that was all of them. I hope I cleared up that stuff and I'm glad you guys found the 'split' scene so amusing, I did too… well, enjoy the next chapter.

-

The warmth of the sun was what woke Bakura the next morning, making a face as he was temporarily blinded by the light, until he lifted a hand to block it. Groaning, he lowered his hand after a moment, covering his closed eyes and yawning. Moving his hand, he opened his eyes again as they adjusted to the light above him, finding himself on his back. Figuring that he had been shifting around through the night on the stairs of the pool, he let the thought slip away as he noticed a weight on his body.

Tilting his head to look without sitting up, he found the weight to be Ryou lying on his chest, still asleep. His fish – like body was curled next to him, long tail submerged in the turquoise water of the pool. Smirking tiredly, he lowered his hand into the soft, white hair that was so much like his own. He watched as the smaller boy shifted at the touch, wrinkling his nose slightly and cuddling more against the warm body underneath him.

Making an attempt to sit up, Bakura carefully slid the male down into his lap, hearing him grumble his protests at being jostled around. Rolling onto his back, Ryou continued to sleep, his head turned away from the human.

Bakura yawned again, studying the boy for the umpteenth time. He ran his fingers lightly down the stretched out torso across his legs, moving down onto the smooth, red scales where his legs should have been. A warm substance caught his attention, making him turned his hand over to gaze at his palm. He brought his hand closer to examine the clear liquid, finding it to be a bit thicker than water.

Becoming more curious, he brought his hand to his nose, sniffing lightly and finding it to have no smell. Glancing back down at the younger male's body, Bakura washed his hand quickly in the water, before running his hand down the flesh again, only slower. Finding the thick substance again, he stopped, hearing the other make a small noise and shift slightly. His curiosity becoming more intrigued by the second, Bakura gently pressed the tip of his index finger down, surprised to find the skin split under him.

He pulled away, thinking he had cut the boy for a moment, before finding that it was just a hidden slit. Blinking, his brows furrowed slightly as he began to poke around a bit more, carefully pushing his finger back into the slit. He found the channel to be warm and full of the thick liquid he had gotten on his palm… a sudden realization dawning upon him of where his finger actually was.

The thought made him jump in embarrassment and he could feel his face gaining color. Bakura glanced quickly up at Ryou, seeing that the boy's expression had changed; his mouth opened slightly and his head tilted back further over his leg, a red flush dusting across his cheeks. He let out a soft sound, tail shifting in the water and causing ripples against the human's legs.

Bakura felt his breath hitch at the thought of what he was doing, finding his fingers to be innocently exploring as the younger boy had done earlier, and yet, silently molesting him all at the same time.

Carefully pulling his fingers away, he watched as the slit closed itself, blending back in with the rest of the merboy's creamy skin. Pressing his palm back down against the flesh, he moved it back up the other's body, wondering if their anatomy was the same. Sure enough, as he moved his hand a bit higher, he felt the muscle underneath harden, giving away the secret location of his manhood.

At the sound of the smaller boy's intake of breath and movement, Bakura removed his hand completely from the other's body, looking down as emerald eyes opened and immediately locked on his own.

Gasping again, Ryou could feel his face burning a bright red and for a moment, he didn't know why. He sat up quickly, unable to place the strange feelings coursing through his body until he glanced down briefly, his mind freezing in horror.

"I didn't… I wasn't… just trying… I mean…!" Bakura's sputtering drew his gaze up again. Ryou's thoughts were a jumble of his own, trying to figure out just _what_ had happened while he had been asleep. Unable to focus while still in the human's lap, the merboy went through with the only clear thing he could think of: slipping into the water.

"Wait – Ryou!" Bakura made a grab for the long tail as it slid off his lap, catching the fin for a moment, before he lost his hold and it disappeared around the bend of the pool.

Making a cross between an aggravated and disappointed sound, the elder male got to his feet, quickly walking the edge of the pavement and trying to spot any sign of the boy below the surface. Letting out a sigh, he held back smacking himself for allowing his curiosity to go so far. He wouldn't have wanted to be touched like that by some strange creature he barely knew, especially if it had been while _he_ was sleeping… how degrading!

Running a clean hand over his eyes and into his hair, Bakura made his way back into the summer house, deciding to give the kid some space.

-

Ryou leaned against the hard wall of the pool, curling his tail close as he sat in the deepest end. He wrapped his arms around himself, gripping each slim bicep, staring down at the red-shadowed strip of scales on his body, though not really seeing them. Emerald green eyes were glazed over slightly as the mind behind them thought deeply, trying to sort through all of the thoughts rushing through his head.

He had been touched; he had gathered that by the way his body had felt when he had awoken and Bakura's rush for excuses. It was new, those sensations… he had never actually engaged in any sexual activity, though he had heard much about them from Malik. He hadn't questioned his best friend about how he knew such things, but knowledge was knowledge.

The face of his mother surfaced in his mind, making his stomach turn.

_She and Malik must be so worried…_

And then his father… the thought made him frown slightly. He wouldn't care… not as much as his mother…

He only wanted to mate his heir off so he could be ensured a strong survival of his bloodline after he was gone. He had gravely misjudged the thought of his only son's life revolving around his wants…

…But he had been absolutely correct on one thing…

Their mating season was extremely close… close enough for him to feel his emotions changing… he cringed.

That had already made itself clear only moments ago…

Shifting his tail away from his body, Ryou drifted a few feet through the water, keeping his arms folded as he landed gently on his side, staring blankly down at the concrete bottom.

Hugging himself a bit tighter, he tried to picture how his mother might react if she was told that he had mated with a human. He laughed slightly at the thought, seeing a shocked face. But, maybe… because she had been accepting of his personal tastes on genders, maybe… she would accept a male human…

What was he thinking!

He shook his head, frowning again as he uncurled his arms and rolled onto his back, staring up at the shifting surface and the light glinting off the water. He had only been… well, captured was a harsh word to think, however true it might have been… acquainted with Bakura for a day and already he was having inappropriate thoughts about him!

Breathing in deeply through his small gills, Ryou let the heavy breath out through his nose, watching as a few bubbles escaped towards the surface.

What was he supposed to do now…?

He rolled onto his stomach, folding his arms under his head.

Attracted to a human… it was wrong by his people, but it was the conclusion he came to.

Maybe he should see how things go…

No… maybe he should just stay down in the water for the rest of his days…

The thought made him frown further and bury his head into his arms, not quite liking the idea. His stomach didn't either, apparently, as it rumbled its protests, making him groan.

Shifting again onto his back, Ryou covered his eyes with his arm, the other coming to rest on his stomach, trying to make it stop grumbling. The idea of staying underwater was shot, seeing as how he needed to eat somehow…

His thoughts were interrupted as the merboy felt something else in the water with him. Thinking that maybe it was Bakura, his stomach turned and his heart began beating faster, removing his arm and looking up. Furrowing his brows slightly, green eyes stared up at the object drifting down through the water a few feet from him.

Sitting up, he moved towards the dark item, circling it once as he studied the small, round ball. Holding out his hand, Ryou watched as it landed in his palm, before looking up again and seeing two more of the things floating towards him. Sniffing them lightly, he found the smell to be soft and hardly there, but perhaps that was just because of the water. Picking the other two objects from the water, he glanced up for a third time, seeing a familiar figure leaning over the side, before disappearing.

Sighing softly again, he took another breath to calm his heart, starting slowly for the surface.

-

Taking a seat at the deepest end of the pool, Bakura sat back, crossing his legs under his body as he pulled the plate he had brought out closer to him. He hasn't been too sure on what a merman's diet was, so he had brought a bit of a variety. Figuring that the boy would be in the darkest portion of the pool, he flicked a grape into the water, watching as it sunk out of sight. Dropping two more pieces of the fruit in as well, he leaned forward slightly, trying to see if Ryou had noticed the food or not, but was unable to see to the bottom. Deciding to give it a few more minutes, he sat back again, eating a few grapes himself.

A few bubbles bursting on the surface of the water drew his attention back, green eyes soon following. Bakura could tell that he was still shy about what had happened earlier, for he had only emerged himself up to his nose, and he couldn't blame him. Giving the boy a friendly grin, he offered Ryou another purple grape; only to have something hit him on the cheek. Blinking, he looked down, finding a wet piece of the fruit in his lap.

Ryou cracked a grin back, throwing a second round ball at the human, only to miss as he leaned slightly to the left.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" Bakura laughed slightly, watching as the merboy sunk slightly in the water.

He moved forward until he was up against the side, hand on the concrete for support, "She told me never to talk to strange creatures, especially humans and sharks."

Bakura looked down at the smaller boy, a smirk on his lips, "I see you don't always do as mother says."

Ryou wrinkled his nose, ignoring the statement, holding up the last bit of fruit in his hand, "What's this?"

"A grape, eat it."

Looking suspiciously at the small fruit, he hesitated for a moment, before chewing and swallowing.

"I didn't know what you guys eat, so… I just grabbed a bunch of things." Bakura pushed the plate forward, watching as the younger male looked over the contents.

"What's this?" Ryou poked at a pale – looking item, pulling a piece over to himself curiously.

"Left over chicken from my lunch yesterday."

Ryou chewed on it thoughtfully, before smiling, "More!"

The human laughed again, gesturing towards the plate, "It's all yours, kiddo."

As he munched on the meat with a full mouth, green eyes looked up into mahogany, "You eaht too?"

Bakura nodded in response, reaching down to take a few pretzels from the corner of the plate. He continued to watch Ryou devour the chicken, feeling better about not having the boy hate him. Deciding not to bring up the subject again, the elder male instead pointed to the other's hair.

"What's that?"

Ryou lifted a hand and swallowed, feeling the coral in his hair.

"I guess it stayed on through everything. Mother gave it to me yesterday."

"Does it represent something?"

Ryou snorted and looked up at the human, "Of course it does. I'm a prince."

Bakura's eyes widened slightly and he nearly choked on the pretzel in his mouth, "I kidnapped a prince?"

"Kidnapped?" The younger boy's tone was becoming more impish as he continued, "More like you got lucky. I wanted to leave anyways."

He raised a silver brow in question, "Really now… what for?"

A frown came across pale lips as he leaned forward on his arms beside the human, "They were going to make me mate today, with a girl I didn't have any feelings for. I just made her tell my parents that she was my mate so they would get off my back about mating season coming up." A strange look suddenly came over the soft features, his eyes widening as if he had said more than he intended.

Bakura internally smirked at this new information, his devious side immediately forming plans for the future. Out loud, he said, "When's your mating season?'

Ryou began to slide back into the water, trying to avoid answering the question, when a hand placed itself on top of his, causing his eyes to dart up.

"C'mon, don't go anywhere again. It's alright to talk about it. When is it?" Dark eyes looked at his curiously, causing the smaller to look away and sigh softly, feeling the hand remove itself.

"Soon…" He murmured, "There's never an exact time set… I just know it's soon."

"Oh…" Bakura thought of his next question, "Why didn't you want to mate with the girl? Not your type or something?"

Ryou scoffed softly, still avoiding eye contact, "I guess… I just don't really take a strong liking to females as more than friends."

Bakura laughed, making Ryou jump and look up again, "Yeah, me neither… they get too bitchy about such little things. They all seem to be the same to me, too, you know… not very interesting."

The merboy smiled slightly, dropping his gaze down to the half – empty plate, feeling that he was sated enough for now.

"But you…"

He glanced back up, only to find that the human had shifted his position around so that he was lying on his side. Ryou could feel his face turning red at the close distance between them now and he looked away, sinking lower again. His body was reacting and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not…

A hand grabbed a hold of his chin suddenly, the gentle pressure turning his gaze back onto the human's face.

"But you…" Mahogany eyes bore into his, "You're one hell of an interesting creature."

Ryou gasped as Bakura leaned forward, closing the distance and pulling him into a soft, yet heated kiss.

His mind was suddenly blank, his body falling numb under the other's touch and his body temperature rising. He could feel his lower half begging for more attention, remembering when he had first awoken and wondering just what the other had really done. Images filled his mind at once and he felt his body harden, his waist jerking forward against the wall and making him groan into the human's lips.

Taking this as a sign to continue, Bakura leaned in further, using one hand to pull the other boy closer to him. Ryou pressed his lower half against the wall again, trying to relieve the pressure that was quickly building and failing, before flicking his tail sharply. This gave him enough of a push to propel himself up into the older human, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he pushed him onto his back with his weight.

Bakura quickly found himself pinned down by the merboy, soft lips feverishly moving against his own. _'Mating season's closer than we both expected, huh…'_

Ryou finally broke away a few moments later, burrowing his head against Bakura's shoulder and trying to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…" He whispered, trailing off.

The weight was suddenly gone from his bare chest and Bakura sat up quickly, looking at where the water was rippling and indicating Ryou's disappearance. Smirking to himself, he licked his bottom lip, tasting chicken. Standing up, he grabbed the plate by his feet, before walking as quickly as he could into the house, his mind set on relieving the ache between his legs as soon as he dropped the food off in the kitchen.

Two could play this game.

---

To Be Continued

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Cloaked Vampire: Dun dun duunnn… I think Ryou's getting bold… teehee. Reviews get him even bolder! XD


	4. A Little Closer Than Expected

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 4: A Little Closer Than Expected

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Mmk, Idon't really have much to say except thatI truely, truely appreciate all of the positive feedback I've gotten on this story, thusfar. : ) I really hope that you guys continue to do that for me... you've surpassed Clash Between Two Worlds in reviews, by the way, with only 1413 hits verses 9022 : D

Kudos to all of you guys Enjoy.

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Ryou broke the water's surface a few hours later, scanning the area around him quickly and finding himself alone. He flicked his tail, moving himself forward at a lazy pace, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes as he was bathed in the setting sun's glow. Curling his arms behind his head, the merboy sighed softly, listening to the water lapping gently against his body.

His mind wandered at he floated slowly around the center of the pool, reliving the moments that he had ended all too soon.

If he concentrated hard enough, he could still taste the salt from the things Bakura had called 'pretzels' mixed together with the sweet flavor of the grapes. Unconsciously licking his lips, he opened his eyes and stared up at the orange and pink sky, watching as a seagull and a few other small birds flew overhead.

Judging by his actions earlier, Ryou knew that his time to mate was even closer than he had anticipated, making him a bit nervous.

What would happen if he _did_ mate with the human?

Was it possible that he would be cast out of his home?

He frowned at the thought. He shouldn't care about that… he was the one who had decided to leave in the first place. But, the face of his smiling mother caught his mind again, the picture of Malik soon following.

What about them? They would probably miss him…

Were they looking for him now?

His thoughts were cut short at the sound of a door sliding open, causing the young male to drop his lower half into the water as he sat up in alert.

The sound of rapid clicking filled the air soon after, green eyes widening in fright at the sight of two brown and black sort of animal's rushing towards him. Gasping, Ryou sunk a few inches in the water, backing up a bit and readying himself to duck underwater at any moment.

"Hey, hey, relax… Sai, Kai, sit." The voice of Bakura drew emerald eyes upwards, spotting the human to be walking towards him, the article around his waist changed from the beige to a black color.

Ryou stayed quiet, watching as the creatures stopped at the edge of the pool and sat down, both of their mouths opening with goofy grins and tongues rolling out. The boy looked back up as Bakura sat down in between them, throwing a large bunch of thick-looking material down a few feet away, before dipping his legs into the water and draping an arm around each of their furry shoulders.

Bakura watched the merboy for a few moments, noticing the white hair that was spreading out in the water behind him and glowing an orange color in the sunlight. He finally decided to break the silence, gesturing to the dog that panted happily under his left arm, "This is Kai," He nodded towards the other under his right arm, "And this is Sai."

Kai barked in excitement, standing up and shifting in his place, making Ryou duck down another inch in surprise.

"Don't be scared of him," Bakura laughed, patting the animal's head, "He only wants to play."

"What… are they?" Ryou asked timidly.

"German Shepherds." At the confused look he received, Bakura continued, "Dogs. One of the maids just dropped them off on my uncle's request. Supposed to keep me company, I guess."

"Oh…" Ryou moved closer on inspection of the quieter dog, Sai, reaching out a wet hand to touch the white patch of fur on its neck. He gasped in surprise when the animal leaned down, a cold nose suddenly pressed up against his cheek, followed by a hot tongue. The boy laughed as Sai continued to lick him, Kai deciding to get in on the excitement too and trotting over, sniffing Ryou as well.

"Alright, alright, Sai, hey -" Bakura pulled the dog away from the merboy, only to be licked continuously as well. "Hey! Hey, c'mon now…"

Ryou chuckled softly, backing away from the furry animal that was leaning forward over the water, pink tongue darting out to try and get another slurp at him. He looked towards Bakura, seeing the human slipping down into the water with him.

Holding onto the side, Bakura called out to the dogs, "Sai, Kai! Where's your toys?" He smirked as both of the animal's ears perked up in attention, "Go get your toys!"

The dogs let out excited barks, taking off back into the house with a clatter of nails.

Turning around, mahogany eyes landed on the merboy, who was shying away from him slightly. Letting go of the edge, Bakura moved out past Ryou, dipping under the water and wetting his hair. Feeling the other's eyes on his back, he turned to look over his shoulder, grinning as he met the merboy's gaze.

Ryou felt his heart begin to quicken again, his body itching to move closer to the human. He resisted though, directing his eyes down to the water and focusing on the orange reflection of the sun.

"Bakura…" His soft voice cut through the silence and he felt Bakura's attention poised on him again, "I just… I apologize, for…" He trailed off, the sound of the dogs barking in the house taking his attention, "…for earlier. I hope -" He stopped again, the water shifting around him and making him look up.

The human had moved towards him, a curious, yet slightly devious look in his eyes, "You hope what?"

Ryou swallowed, his heartbeat becoming a bit louder in his ears. His body had fallen partially numb from his nerves and he swished his tail back and forth idly.

"I just… hope that… you don't hold it against me or anything." He let out a squeak after the words had left his mouth in a rush, feeling a soft kiss pressed into his lips.

"I don't." Bakura smirked as he pulled away, only to catch a glimpse of a flushing face, before wet arms were thrown around his neck and a slim body pressed against his. He felt the soft mouth against his again, the grip around his neck tightening as the merboy tried to hold himself higher.

Losing himself in the strong hold of the human's arm slinking around his waist, Ryou closed his eyes and curled his tail around one of his legs in a small sign of possession. He could feel his heart beating rapidly, his hormones in full motion, causing his body to react to his current situation.

He broke away a moment later, his breathing harsh and the blush on his face burning brightly. Swallowing as he opened his eyes, the smaller male met the dark gaze of the human, before the other broke away, leaning down to press his teeth gently against his throat. Ryou inhaled sharply and let out a small sound, his eyes closing again and head tipping to the side slightly. His neck had always been a sensitive spot, ever since he had been young, and Bakura seemed to notice and take advantage of that right away.

Licking up the smooth expanse of his neck, Bakura nibbled softly at the pale jaw, before moving back down to the junction of his shoulder. As he worked, the one hand that had been holding the merboy around the waist carefully removed itself to trail down over the smooth scales, curving around into his tail. Pulling his hand up through the water again, he began to lower it once more, using his knuckles to, this time, move down between their bodies. He felt the small transition between flesh and scales, quickly finding the hardened portion of the other's body. His findings were confirmed almost immediately, as Ryou's fingers tightened in his hair and the body against his hand jerked forward.

Bakura heard the heavy breath of air let out beside his ear as the merboy knocked his head gently against his. His inner smirk only grew, knowing that he was going to get some tonight and from a fantasized race as well.

Giving the other male another nip to his neck as he drew his hand away, he listened to Ryou whimper softly at the loss of contact, carefully prying the arms from around his neck. Turning towards the side of the pool, Bakura hauled himself up out of the water, before turning around and gripping the pale boy under the arms, pulling him up into his lap.

Ryou was connected to the human again as soon as he felt himself resting in his lap, curling his tail back around the others ankle and letting his fin trail down into the water. His body was yearning for the male now, his mind overrun by his hormones, begging for his body to be touched. He had knocked the human down onto his back again without realizing it, his kisses full of lust and want. The prince jumped, though, when something hit his shoulder, bouncing off and making a squeaking sound. Panting softly, both teenagers looked up, seeing the two dogs standing above them, grinning and wagging their tails happily.

After a moment of near silence, Bakura chuckled softly, caressing the boy's sides gently to get his attention, "She wants you to throw it for her."

Ryou blinked, looking down at the bright orange ball that had hit him. Picking it up, he squeezed it experimentally, grimacing slightly as drool oozed out of the middle, as well as the squeaking noise. Glancing back down at Bakura, he saw the other's grin widen.

"Throw it towards the beach." He instructed, earning a bark of excitement from Sai.

The boy did as he was told, letting the ball fly over the glass balcony and onto the golden sand below. Sai yipped again, bounding off around the edge of the pool and pushing past the black gate to get to the beach.

Bakura sat up soon after, holding Ryou securely in his one arm, using his other to take the ball Kai had dropped and throw it in the same direction Sai had run off to. Alone again, Bakura turned his attention back to the merboy, the smirk he had felt inside of him moving across his lips. Leaning forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Ryou, he whispered, "Now… where were we?"

Ryou grinned shyly, before the human leaned closer, closing the distance and laying him down to the side. He felt the male straddle his body, lowering himself to give him a chaste, teasing kiss. His body reacted again, arching slightly at the touch of fingertips sliding along his chest, lips pressed against his once more. A waist pressed down against his, the merboy gasping and tilting his head, back arching again.

A dark chuckle drifted through the air, Bakura moving down the slim torso under him. Backing up slightly on his knees, he trailed one hand down onto the other's flat stomach, dipping down a bit lower to the point of making the younger boy cry out softly and raise his hips.

"Stop teasing me - !" Ryou managed out, gasping again when he felt an uncomfortable feeling in his lower body, followed by a line of pleasure up his spine.

Bakura's smirk widened as he pressed his index finger further into the slit he had found earlier that afternoon, feeling the hot walls of the merboy hugging his fingers as his muscles tightened. He licked his lips, watching the features of the male below him twist as he slowly moved his finger back and forth, adding a second after a few more moments.

The two pelvic fins twitched and Ryou cried out again, the pressure building as a second finger entered his hidden passage. Panting a bit faster, he could feel his arousal pushing to break free from where it had been patiently lying dormant the past few days. Pale hands gripped at the wet pavement below them, never finding a suitable hold on the smooth ground. He felt the human slip another arm around his curved back again, holding him up partially and leaning in to murmur words into his ear.

"Are you hiding yourself from me, little Prince?" His fingers pressed into the others sensitive body roughly, causing him to gasp sharply and cling to the other's shoulders.

Ryou could feel his manhood slipping from its hiding place, the skin above the human's fingers stretching outward to accommodate the pale object as it emerged. He moaned softly and shook his head, burying his face against Bakura's neck and tilting the elder male's head down. Knowing that he had gotten the message, the merboy tightened his grip around the other's shoulders, a wave of pleasure sweeping through him, down to his submerged fin, causing it to twitch in excitement.

The human ran his fingers slowly over the newly emerged shaft, already slick with its own, clear fluid. Bakura listened to the sharp, steady intakes of breath at his ear as he stroked the younger boy, drawing out another moan with a quick flick of his thumb over the leaking head.

"Oh…" The young prince fisted a large chunk of white hair in his hand as another jolt was sent up his spine, "Bakura, please…"

The human grinned into the other's shoulder, giving him a small bite, "You wanted to see how I 'split', right?"

Ryou gave a small nod, a tiny portion of his mind becoming curious again.

"Well then… I suggest you pay attention."

Taking a moment to get control of himself for a few seconds, the merboy allowed the body he was holding onto to move away from him. He watched; blush ever-present, as the human stood up, hooking his thumbs in the top of his bathing trunks and slipping them down.

Ryou could feel his face burning brightly at this new sight, his eyes taking in the exact 'split' of the human, watching as a few beads of water slid down his slightly tanned and toned body, his manhood standing proud and looking rather, well… manly.

After a few moments, emerald eyes met mahogany again and Bakura dropped back down onto his knees, straddling his lower body once more.

"What would your mother say to this?" He suddenly whispered, the thought striking him as odd.

Obviously caught off guard by the question, Ryou went silent, merely staring up at the male. He finally shook his head, replying with, "I don't care what she thinks… not about this, anyways. I want this."

Bakura smirked, leaning down to place both of his arms at either side of the boy's head, touching his nose with his own softly, "You sure?"

He nodded once, trying to relax his body, not quite sure what to expect.

"I've never had sex with a merperson before." The human positioned himself to the best of his knowledge, looking into green eyes for one last silent sign of approval.

"I've never had sex before." Was the only reply.

As a last moment idea, Bakura gathered the boy back into his arms, giving him a lingering kiss, before whispering, "This should make things easier."

Not quite sure what he had meant by that, Ryou's eyes suddenly closed on their own and a wave of pain raced through his body, arms immediately finding their safe place around the human's neck. His mouth had opened and he found himself letting out small cries, in the pain he felt or the pleasure that it was melting in to, he wasn't sure.

Bakura drove himself forward carefully at first, trying to quickly map his new territory to gain a sense of what he should be doing. He found that he needed to tilt his hips upwards slightly when he moved forward, his grip unconsciously tightening around the prince in his arms. His thrusts became a bit faster after another moment of getting used to the body under him, his heart racing at the rhythmic clamping of the muscles surrounding his solid shaft, which were already hugging him tightly.

Grunting out his approval into the silver locks under his nose, Bakura quickened his pace, the feeling of the merboy jerking against his waist nearly driving him over already. The younger male was whimpering and moaning out his pleasure as the human continuously hit something deep inside of him, muffled against the others neck. His back arched suddenly with a hitch of breath and a loud, "O-oh!"

Inhaling sharply at the warm sensation against his stomach and the jerking motions from the body in his arms, Bakura was rudely pushed over into his climax, his arms tightening to a crushing point as he felt the muscles around him clamp down tighter than he had expected, his seed nearly being squeezed out of him without his consent.

Ryou panted harshly against the neck in front of him, trying desperately to slow his breathing and stop his body from shaking. Small tremors from the aftermath were running through his body and he suddenly felt drained of all his energy. Leaning heavily against the solid body that still held him, the merboy swished his tail tiredly in the water, before closing his eyes.

Bakura felt the weight increase against his chest and glanced down, seeing that the prince had fallen asleep against him. Carefully lying him down on the pavement, he removed himself from the smaller body, noticing that the other's lax arousal had retreated back into his body.

Wiping the white liquid from his chest and stomach, as well as what had gotten onto the sleeping merboy, Bakura laid down next to him, grabbing at the towels he had brought out with him earlier. Draping his waist with one of them, he used the other two as makeshift pillows, slipping one under Ryou's head. Settling back down, he pulled the younger boy close to him, running his fingers back into the mostly-dried white hair.

Knowing that the two dogs knew their way back up to the house, mahogany eyes slid shut, a yawn escaping him.

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To Be Continued

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Cloaked Vampire: Holy crap, I actually wrote the sex scene. I think this deserves reviews. XD


	5. That Strange Substance Called Beer

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 5: That Strange Substance Called Beer

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Malik slid his arms around the queen's trembling shoulders, doing his best to cease her crying. She hadn't stopped since he had returned with the news of her only son being captured by a human, having to confess his and Ryou's plan to leave.

Roden had been most upset as well (more angered than worried), but Sara had been the one to take it the hardest. Amane had merely shaken her head, muttering about her 'stupid younger brother', before swimming off. Leia had been shocked by the news as well, asking what she could do to help, but there was nothing.

That was three days ago.

Now, Malik was still trying to comfort the distraught mother, telling her how everything was going to be fine and that Ryou would make it back to the sea on his own, while Sara only shook her head and moaned out how everything would never be fine again.

He looked up from the mass of silvery strands that floated in the water when he heard movement in the water coming closer.

Roden entered the room that served as the king and queen's bedroom, spotting the blonde merboy consoling his wife on their bed. Stopping in front of the two, the king went to take a breath to speak, only to be cut off.

"This is all your fault!" Sara burst out, immediately in her husband's face with an accusing finger pointed, tears still leaking down her pale cheeks. Her silver hair flowed around her, seeming to feed off her grief and anger, only making the male shrink away further. "You were the one who kept pushing him and pushing him to find a girl he didn't even want to mate with! You have Amane to continue your bloodline, why couldn't you have just left our son alone?"

The king quickly opened his mouth to try and defend himself, only to be interrupted again.

"You're always harping on him and you never let him alone!" Emerald eyes burned with the anger of losing her son, "He never does anything that seems to please you and he tries! You're just so dense and stubborn! And you wonder why he revolted against you so often! It's all your fault, Roden!"

Roden let out a sigh in defeat, knowing that it was feeble to try and argue with his wife. Instead, he merely replied with, "Yes… I know, Sara. It's my fault I drove him away."

Sara wiped her eyes quickly and frowned, her bottom lip trembling as she turned her back to her husband. Folding her arms across her chest, she took in a shaky breath, feeling the built arms of her husband wrapping around her from behind.

Malik watched silently from his spot back on the bed, deciding that it was his time to leave. With a flick of his tail, the platinum-haired boy was gliding through the water and past his younger female friend.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Leia questioned.

"The surface." The guardian replied, "I want to see how close I can get to land and see if I can spot him."

The red-haired girl caught up with his movements, "Malik, that's crazy! He's probably in some big place where they… I don't know…" She tried to think of a location on land, "Just some big building! You can't see through them!"

Malik looked over his shoulder at the girl, giving her a slight glare, "If you're going to tag along, at least stop talking."

Glaring back at the blonde with a small huff, Leia kept quiet for the rest of the trip.

-

Finally breaking the surface, Malik looked around the calm water, noting that they were miles from home. Gripping onto the large rock that had been a few feet away from him, the blond pulled himself up slightly to see better, looking at the beach far off to his right.

"I don't see _anyone_ over there…" He muttered, squinting to see off the glare of the water.

Leia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "What did I tell you, Maliky…"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"When do I get my date?"

Malik choked back a growl, "Never!"

The female let out a "Hmph!" sound and turned her back to the slightly older boy. "You're a jerk."

Malik wrinkled his nose, letting go of the rock and dipping under the water to head back home, "Yeah, I know."

-

It was Ryou who awoke first this time, his emerald green eyes sliding open tiredly, a wide yawn making itself clearly known soon afterward. Closing his mouth again, he found himself to be facing away from the human he had mated with the night before, the turquoise water sparkling in the mid-morning light.

Rolling onto his back, Ryou winced and immediately arched his back, trying to lessen the pain racing up his spine all of a sudden. Carefully straightening the bone, he let out the breath he had sucked in, tilting his head to look to his right. Smiling affectionately, he gently maneuvered himself onto his other side, raising a hand and softly placing his palm against the slightly tanned cheek of the elder male.

Bakura didn't move at the small gesture, continuing to sleep deeply. The merboy watched him silently, running the tips of his fingers across the smooth skin and eventually into the white, untamed locks falling into his face.

He had mated with a human… how was he to explain this?

Sighing softly, Ryou continued to watch the human sleep, deciding to drop the subject in his mind. He curled up next to the body after a moment, inhaling deeply through his nose and taking in the foreign scent of Bakura.

He liked this human… if only there was a way to bring him into the water…

Ryou didn't really fancy the idea of being stuck in a pool for the rest of his life too much, however large it was.

He was a prince, after all, and prince's needed their extended space.

His mind drifted from there, as he gently laid his fingers on top of Bakura's still hand, wandering back to the idea of how worried his mother was. Perhaps she had taken control from his father and demanded a search party throughout the ocean?

He nearly laughed at the silly idea, only to come to the conclusion that it was something she probably would have done.

But, no… Malik had surely gone back and told her what had happened and, of course, not to worry… he _was_ fine, after all.

Quite fine, indeed.

He really hoped his mother wasn't in hysterics about him though… the thought made his stomach churn in guilt.

If he hadn't tried to leave…

If he hadn't tried to help the human…

…He would have never met the human.

But his father had driven him away.

This wasn't his fault!

A sudden movement next to him made the merboy jump, his eyes coming back to focus and rising to meet deep mahogany. Their fingers were now interlocked and Bakura twisted his wrist gently, lifting it to softly kiss Ryou's hand.

The young prince could feel his cheeks burning at the small action, a small smile on his lips.

Bakura returned the gesture, his voice soft as he spoke, "That's better… no frowning on my watch, got it?"

Ryou shifted his head slightly in a confused manner, "What's a watch?"

The human gave a small laugh, before hoisting his body up into a sitting position, his free hand wiping his bangs from his eyes. Moving it around onto his back, Bakura grimaced, arching his spine and groaning, "Aunnh… my back is killing me… no more sleeping on the cement…"

"Are you alright?" Ryou sat up next to him, a bit cramped in his backside as well.

"Yeah…" Bakura unhooked his fingers from the other's, standing up and holding the towel he had slept under around his waist, "I'll be right back, I've gotta pee and then get something to lay on while I'm out here with you… I'll bring you some food, alright?" He added as an afterthought, "What would you like?"

Ryou tried to remember all of the foods Malik had ever told him about, "Meat and… that… liquid…"

A silvery eyebrow was raised in question, "That liquid?"

"You know!" The merboy thought hard, tapping his finger against the ground, "It comes in a bottle… a hard bottle… shiny… tall?"

Bakura gave the second male a very confused stare, "Uhh… wine?"

"No, no, that wasn't it… he said it was tart at first, but then very good…"

"Beer?"

Emerald eyes lit up, "Yes! That was it! Do you have any? I've always wanted to try some, Malik made it sound so delightful!"

A dark smirk broke out over the elder boy's face, "It's a good thing Uncle Ken trusts me…"

Ryou watched as Bakura made his way back into the house, before slipping down into the pool, the warm water a welcomed friend.

-

Sai and Kai both weaved their ways around and between Bakura's legs as he made his way from the bathroom that was joined to his room, nearly tripping the teenager as he tried to step over their wriggling forms. He had found another pair of bathing trunks before he had gone into the bathroom, this time a dark forest green color, as well as grabbing his favorite black sunglasses.

"Guys, knock it off…" His muttered words went unheard by the animals, only to be answered with hungry and happy yips.

Nearly falling down the stairs twice due to the hyper dogs, Bakura finally made his way into the elaborate kitchen and immediately moved for the fridge. Scanning the contents for something quick and meaty, the male was limited in choices, considering he had just arrived a few days ago. Spotting a strangely large object wrapped in tin foil a shelf above him, Bakura took it down, finding a small note attached. Opening the paper, he read out loud:

"_Master Bakura – MasterShataki has informed me that you are not a boy who cooks for himself. I have prepared a ham for your dinner tonight; all you have to do is cut it up and place it in the microwave. Enjoy._

_-Marcie"_

His stomach churned as he finished reading the note. One of the maid's had been there today? What time was it?

2:03… Okay, so he had slept through the morning… again. He could live with that. Not a morning person anyways… but a maid being here without him knowing about it? He didn't like that idea too much, especially when Ryou was out in the open and he has been naked. Throwing the note away, he placed the ham on the nearby island, unfurling it.

Just as the maid had said, the meat was fully glazed and all, just waiting to be cut and eaten. Licking his lips, Bakura turned and found the knife rack rather quickly, smirking devilishly as he pulled out the largest butcher's knife, grabbing a plate as well. Giving the blade an experimental twirl in his fingers, he set to work cutting up the meat and placing the pieces on the plate.

Throwing the ham into the microwave, he spotted the two germen shepherds sitting with disturbing patience behind him.

"Food?" He looked for a reaction from the animals, watching as two sets of ears focused towards him and tongues lolled out.

Grinning slightly, he followed the two prancing dogs to their adjacent food bowls, grabbing one of the large bags in the pantry next to them. Filling them both to the brim, he changed each of their water bowels, hearing the 'ding' of the microwave at the other end of the kitchen. Casting one last look at the two hungrily attacking their food, Bakura retrieved his own food, setting it back on the island, before walking back to the fridge.

Smirking, he pulled out the six-pack he had brought from home from the bottom shelf, kicking the door shut. Walking towards the pool doors, he grabbed the plate of steaming ham as he passed by.

Leaving the sliding glass doors open for the dogs, Bakura made his way over to the water, setting down the beer and the plate. Teasing the water with his fingers for a few seconds, the teenager stood back up, heading for the small room built into the wall on the house. He remembered, as a child, he had often run inside to hide behind the chairs while playing Hide-and-Seek with his parents on vacation.

Dragging out one of the folding chairs, Bakura pulled it over to where he had spent the night sleeping and doing… other activities. Unfolding the dark blue piece of furniture, the silver – haired teen sat down heavily, feeling himself sink a little. Looking over to the pool, he saw that Ryou had reemerged to the side again; staring at the plate he had placed on the ground.

"What is it?" Curious green eyes turned to him in question.

"Bring it over here, it's ham." Bakura gestured for the merboy to push the plate closer to him so that he could reach it as well. Grabbing a large slice, he commented on how hot it was and to be careful, before taking a rather large bite and smirking.

Okay, he was going to have to have Marcie cook for him all the time.

He watched as Ryou minded what he had said, taking the meat in careful hands and taking a small bite. The smaller male was grinning soon enough, repeating how good it tasted.

Bakura only nodded his agreement, before sitting up and grabbing the six-pack he had brought out as well. Dragging it up to rest in between his legs, he tore open the box and pulled out a single can. Opening the lid with a click, the teen held it out to the still munching merboy.

"Here, drink."

Ryou took the can with his free hand, looking at it a bit oddly, "Is this the beer?"

The elder nodded, waiting patiently to see the other's reaction to the drink.

Lifting the can slightly hesitantly, Ryou took a few gulps, before lowering the beverage to look up at Bakura. "It tastes… odd."

Bakura let out a short laugh, nudging his sunglasses down from his hair and over his eyes, before opening his own can. "Yeah, that's beer for you."

Ryou nodded and took another sip, the two falling into a comfortable silence as they continued eating. Bakura finished his fill first and set his beer down next to his seat, followed by the case it had come in. Standing up, he winced at his stiff back, his shoulders tensing as he rubbed them tenderly.

"I really can't sleep on concrete anymore." He laughed, before adjusting the folding chair so that it was completely horizontal. Lying back down on the blue material, he rolled over onto his stomach, reaching over to place his beer closer to him, but not before taking another swig. Settling down again, he rested his head in his folded arms, letting out a low groan in relaxation.

The merboy watched Bakura move around, his body feeling slightly different. He took another swallow of his drink, finding that it tasted a bit better than when he had first started. Looking up at the human again, he felt a smile cross his lips suddenly, the urge to giggle bubbling up his throat, but dying on his lips. Placing his drink down on the concrete, Ryou pulled himself from the water, his right arm buckling suddenly, and making him dip to the side with a squeak.

"You okay?" Bakura adjusted his head to glance back at the younger prince, eyes peeking over his glasses.

Ryou nodded with a slightly goofy grin, reaching for his beer again and finishing off the can. Carefully twisting himself back over, he pulled himself up onto the end of Bakura's chair, water dripping off of his purple and red body.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bakura's question passed over the merboy, going unanswered verbally. He felt the creature slowly moving up the backs of his legs, until the weight rested against his lower backside. Curiosity getting the best of him, the white-haired human made to sit up, only to have a pair of small hands press against his shoulder blades and push him back down into his chair.

"You're back hurts… I'll make it better." The soft reply was slightly mumbled, long fingers pressing into his muscle and making him relax slightly.

Ryou knew something wasn't right within his body, but he couldn't seem to pin the entire problem down. He felt slightly light – headed, like he had when he had been when he was trapped within the net of fish. His mind felt fuzzy and he couldn't form too many thoughts at the moment.

Only that Bakura was lying below him…. he felt something inside of his mind click.

Hearing the human groan slightly under his ministrations brought Ryou back from his hazy state as much as it was going to, green eyes taking in the lightly tanned skin underneath his hands. He could feel his cheeks begin to grow warm as he stared down at the flawless flesh, his heartbeat starting to quicken a bit. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he was actually doing this and why his body was reacting as what he thought was really nothing at all.

He suddenly leaned down over the other's back; dragging his hands down the human's sides and laying his head beside the mass of white spikes. Staying still, Ryou felt his eyes close and another lazy smile cross his lips.

"Mm… you okay?" Bakura shifted slightly so that his words weren't muffled into his arms, feeling one of the hands on his sides travel back up, the weight on his spine staying where it was.

Only a childish giggle answered him, "Mmhmhmm... your hair smells nice…"

The human opened his eyes at that random statement, catching the slightly goofy tone the younger male's voice was taking on. Twisting himself over onto his back, Bakura inhaled sharply in surprise at the sudden close proximity Ryou's face was to his. He could see the dark flush that covered the other's cheeks, as well as the dark shade of green his eyes had taken, even with his sunglasses on. Getting a hold of himself, the teen held the merboy by the shoulders and sat up.

Breaking their thirty-second staring contest, Bakura reached behind him, raising the back of the chair enough for him to recline comfortably. Holding the prince between his legs, the elder male watched as the other boy propped his head in his hands and leaned against his chest, a large and somewhat dreamy smile etched across his lips.

"Hiii."

Bakura couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Hey."

"You're so pretttyyy…"

"Uhm… thanks, I think."

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?"

"Not in those exact words, but yes."

This seemed to bring down the merboy's mood a little, as he lowered his eyes and a small frown crossed his lips, "Oh. Well…" He seemed to be trying to think of the right thing to say next, "I think you're very, very pretty!"

Bakura laughed out loud at this, lowering his glasses slightly with finger, "And I think you're completely smashed."

Ryou shook his head defiantly, "I didn't smash up anything."

The elder laughed again, picking up his beer and taking a small sip before pointing to the can, "No, smashed means you're drunk. Means you've had too much of this."

"Ohhh, yummy beer…" Ryou grabbed the half-empty can from Bakura's hand and tilted it to take a drink, only to have it taken from his own grasp just before he could, "Hey, that's mine!"

Bakura shook his head, finding this entire situation to be amusing and entertaining. "No, see, one: It's my beer. And two: You can't have anymore or you'll get worse."

Ryou huffed at the statement, his lips pouting and eyes looking more cute than angry. "I will not get worse!"

"See?" Bakura placed the beer can down beside the chair and leaned back again, pushing his dark glasses into place. "So let's just relax and forget about the beer."

The merboy was silent for a moment, before he gently kneaded his one hand against Bakura's chest, leaning on to kiss the other male.

Pulling away after a moment, Ryou smiled his goofy smile again, slurring out: "But I don't wanna relax…"

Before the elder could question his motives, Ryou was occupying his mouth again, lower body sliding down the chair slightly. His torso soon followed suit, warm lips immediately finding their haven on Bakura's chest.

Mahogany eyes closed behind black sunglasses as the soft caresses trailed down his toned chest, ending on his stomach. His eyes opened again when he felt the wet and scaly lower body of Ryou move further down in between his legs, hands tugging on the top of his swimming trunks.

"Whoa, what'er you -" He was cut by a sharp intake of breath, a jolt of pleasure running through his body as he felt his manhood taken a hold of by a firm hand. "Ryou, what -"

"I want my drink…" Ryou mumbled off as he lowered his head, tugging the shorts down with his free hand, until they rested down past his own stomach. Slipping his tongue out, all thoughts left him as he licked experimentally at the muscle in his hand, his only focus on the large treat before him. Ryou found himself sucking gently on the very tip, his hazy mind encouraging his actions when he felt a pair of hands bury themselves within his hair.

"R-Ryou…" Bakura's eyes slid shut again, his fingers curling around downy white locks as he felt more of his manhood taken into the moist mouth, part of him saying to tell the kid to stop. But he couldn't, the words disappearing in his throat as another surge of pleasure ran up his spine.

The merboy continued to swirl his tongue around the member in his mouth, becoming more engaged with the task he had set for himself. He felt a giddy rush begin to swell within him, filling him with a sensation of sudden pride.

He could make the human below him moan and groan with approval.

He could make the human want more.

He could please the human.

Using his hand to grip what he couldn't reach of Bakura's need with his mouth, Ryou doubled his efforts with his tongue, adding in a quick sucking motion for good measure.

Bakura inhaled sharply at the sudden increase of pressure on his lower region, his hands tightening within white hair. Letting out his breath in a shaky moan, the teen tried to spread his legs, only to be restricted by his shorts around his knees. His back arched when another wave of bliss was sent through his body, feeling his muscles tightening in a sign of what was just on the horizon.

"Kid… mmn, Kid, oh… yeah…"

Ryou's fuzzy mind was trying to focus on the words the human was saying; only comprehending that it was encouragement. The hips below him moved, a sign that Bakura was close and one that the merboy missed, due to his current out-of-it state. The one thing that did catch Ryou's attention, however, was when the human's back bowed again and what sounded like a strangled snarl emitting from his throat.

Warm liquid suddenly entered Ryou's mouth, startling him enough to make him choke a bit. Catching himself, he let the substance slide down his throat, tasting salty and sort of sweet, all in the same instance. Liking this taste, Ryou milked the rest of the liquid from the human with seemingly desperate suction motions, finally pulling away as he felt Bakura's hands loosen in his hair and his back curve into the seat again.

Looking up, the younger boy gave the panting male a wide and proud smile, his partially hooded eyes glazed over in his drunken stupor.

"Do I make you happy, Bak'ra?" Ryou pulled himself back up the other's lean body, pressing himself flat against his chest.

Bakura didn't respond for a moment, finding it humorous in the back of his mind that the kid was drunk enough not to pronounce his name right. His body swirled with the aftermath of his sex-induced high, his muscles relaxing into the cloth of his folding chair. Lifting his arms, the human carefully maneuvered around the merboy's body and pulled his shorts back up to his waist, before slumping back into the material behind him with a groan.

"Yeah… yeah, you make me happy, Kid."

Ryou giggled slowly into his tanned neck, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, "Good… cuz you make me happy too."

Bakura smirked slightly, turning his head slightly to nuzzle his nose down into the soft strands of hair lying against his shoulder. Trailing his fingers up and down the other's spine, mahogany eyes closed, feeling the chest pressed against his even out in breathing.

---

To Be Continued

---

Cloaked Vampire: Wow… okay, finally got this done… I thought you might like to see Ryou get a little drunk and have things happen… I attempted. And, I'm going to be honest o.O I have no clue as to how this is going to end. But it's almost done. Huzzah x.x


	6. Reunion

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 6: Reunion

-

Author's Note: Alright, so, just a few things to say before we get started. I know… that the last chapter didn't meet some of your expectations and hell, it didn't even meet mine. So, I apologize x.x There's more of an explanation in the end notes. What else… oh, for all of you who care, I have actually started the first chapter to the infamous 'Sequel'. That's what I call it now since I don't have a title and everyone seems to know what the hell I'm talking about when I say it . So, as soon as I finish this story, you all get that chapter. I think there's a lemon in the first chapter too o.O I think… I'm not there yet… XD So, I'll stop talking now, get reading!

-

Carefully, very carefully, he removed himself from under the sleeping merboy, a yawn escaping him as he stood up. Leaning backwards, mahogany eyes slid shut as his bones popped and cracked, a small noise slipping from his throat. Feeling fur shift against his ankle, Bakura glanced down as he straightened up, seeing both german shepherds still seemingly asleep next to his folding chair. As he began to make his way over the dogs, Sai lifted her head, looking up at the human with her dark brown eyes, ears forward in question.

"No, shh…" Bakura gestured down the animal, his voice a whisper, "Sai, go back to sleep. Stay."

Laying her head back down on her paws, Sai continued to look up at Bakura with a somewhat mournful gaze, slightly disappointed that she had been ordered to stay where she was. Bakura turned, walking around the edge of the large pool and pulled the gate open, starting down the wooden stairs as he closed the small door behind him.

Stepping down into the cool sand, Bakura inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh morning air as a breeze washed over him. He moved a little awkwardly in the white substance at first, the grains shifting under his feet and throwing him slightly off balance, but quickly got used it, making his way towards the ocean.

Stopping a few feet from the water, the white-haired teen sat down. He had always loved coming out to the ocean at dusk when he was a child, but he had always been one to sleep past sunrise, making him unable to experience the beach as the sun rose.

He smirked slightly to himself, shifting his legs to curl at his side and lean against his left hand.

That Ryou was something else…

He could honestly say that he had never seen anyone get so drunk, so quickly, off of a single can of beer.

And it was like… insta-horny too.

_'Maybe I should remember that little side effect…'_

He looked down at the sand, his thoughts morphing as he did so.

'_I wonder if that kid is really interested in some sort of… weird…relationship. Or maybe he's just in it for the experience? He _did_ say that his mating season was right around the corner… was that all it was? A severe case of being horny?'_

Frowning slightly, Bakura began idly tracing his finger through the light grains next to him, his mind wandering with all of his new questions.

-

Sara broke the calm water's surface, her white hair falling limp into her face without the water to support it. Green eyes quickly scanned their surroundings, finding that she was alone in the early morning light. Kicking her tail, she moved forward, maneuvering slowly around the rocks that littered the sandy bottom of the ocean shore. She had come to find her son, hoping against all odds that her Ryou would somehow, at almost any cost, be on that long stretch of sand.

Gripping one of the larger rocks with her long, pale fingers, forage-colored eyes peeked around one of the taller rocks, slick with wet moss. Feeling her heart skip a beat at what she saw, Sara quickly ducked down under the water, gliding forward smoothly with a snap of he long body. The water motion changed around her, the mermaid queen adjusting to the current quickly and allowing herself to be carried further in towards the white beach. Keeping herself low, Sara placed her hands against the shifting sand, feeling a rush of cool air hit her slick body as the waves were drawn back, leaving her exposed.

"Ryou?" She crawled forward with a look of desperate hope, quickly turning into one of fright as the figure looked up. Freeing, Sara held eye contact, pushing herself back a bit. This… human, though he looked like her son, he was not… those dark eyes seeming so menacing towards her. Pushing herself back as another wave washed over her lower body, she stopped, hearing the human speak.

"Wait! You said Ryou?"

Dark emerald eyes looked desperate again, "My son! Do you know of Ryou? Pleas, Human, tell me he is all right!"

The limbs the mermaid had mistaken as a fin at the male's side uncurled, the human rising slightly to his knees and moving a bit closer, "Your son is fine, he's with me."

A strange look passed over the woman's face, her form rising to kneel on her lower body. Both hands were quivering as they rose to her lips, her eyes closing partially as tears began to well up and fall.

"Is he truly… what could have been the chances… tell me you don't lie, Human!"

Bakura shook his head negatively, only to have a body suddenly thrown into his, arms wrapped around his neck and tears falling to his bare shoulder.

"Hey, listen now…" He tried his best to comfort the seemingly happily distraught mother, awkwardly placing his hands on her back and patting lightly. "C'mon, listen… he's fine, he's just fine."

Feeling as he had gained the woman's attention as she pulled away slightly, he gently wiped away the tears before continuing: "Listen, meet me over by that tidal pool over there." He pointed to make sure she understood, "The one leading out into the water and surrounded by all those rocks, and I'll go get Ryou."

Pushing back another happy sob, Sara couldn't stop smiling through her still-falling tears, nodding in agreement.

"Please hurry… I'm sorry, forgive my tears… my name is Sara."

Standing up, he grinned back, "Don't be sorry, I understand… I'm Bakura, by the way. I'll meet you over there in five, don't worry." He pointed again, before running and jogging back towards the house.

Climbing the stairs two and a time, Bakura pushed past the small door in the glass railing, moving towards the sleeping merboy still on his folding chair. Both of the dogs who were lying next to the chair lifted their heads as he approached, ears forward in attention. Patting them each on the head quickly, Bakura guided his arms down and around Ryou's still form, hearing him mumble small protests as he was lifted into the air.

Letting out a small whistle towards the two dogs, Sai and Kai were both quickly on their feet, tailed wagging as the trotted after Bakura. Nudging open the door again, the white-haired mail watched as the dogs took off onto the beach; Bakura looking around quickly to double-check that no one was around.

Walking towards the tidal pool he had mentioned earlier, Bakura kept his eyes open for the mermaid he had sent over.

Spotting her sitting patiently on one of the smaller, more flat rocks hidden within the taller, Bakura grinned, feeling a sudden sense of pride bubbling up within him, knowing that he was reuniting mother and son.

Then again… he _had_ been the one who had torn them apart… from the water, at least.

"Ryou!"

Focusing again, Bakura saw Sara leaning forward against her hands, anxiously awaiting the closer arrival of her son. Slipping through a gap in the rocks and now within reach, the mermaid's hands hovered above her sleeping son's face, seeming to debate whether he was real or not. A shaky smile then broke out across the relieved mother's face, her fingertips brushing against his cheeks, before both her palms followed, gently cupping his face.

Ryou let out a low groan and shifted slightly in Bakura's arms, weakly swatting at the touches on his face.

Sara's grin only broadened, another choked sob escaping.

"My baby boy…. he's okay…"

Holding out her arms as she whispered, Bakura carefully let Ryou slide from his hold to his mothers, who quickly tightened her grasp in a hug.

Ryou mad another noise at the pressure on his form, cracking his eyes open to mutter out, "'Kura, stop… s'too tight…"

His mother only laughed softly, happiness radiating off her.

The light sound registered in Ryou's sleepy brain as foreign and yet familiar, causing his eyes to open further on investigation. He stared at the female holding him, his gaze widening a few moments later.

"Mother!"

Sara could feel the tears coming again and didn't stop them as they rolled down her cheeks, "Ryou…"

The young merboy found himself in another crushing embrace, the scent of his mother washing over him and forming a lump in his throat. Burying his face in the straight white hair of his parent, Ryou wound his arms around her, his teeth clenching to hold back his emotions.

"My baby Ryou! I was so worried, I just… I-I just couldn't stop thinking of what could have happened to you!" Sara continued sobbing into her sons shoulder, never wanting to let him go again.

Bakura let the two have their reuniting moment, looking up towards the morning sky. It was a strange mixture of grey, the sun attempting to peek through the thick layers of color and only managing to glow on the lining of the ocean. He thought it was strange that the clouds gave off such a dark and gloomy atmosphere for the reunited pair in front of him. A smirk crossed his features though, as he continued to stare at the sky, a mixture of emotions running through his veins so suddenly, he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

A tug on his shorts brought his attention back, mahogany eyes resting on a set of emerald green, watching as a single tear was quickly wiped away, before a brilliant smile lit up the younger males face. Bakura couldn't help returning the gesture, Ryou's smile being a bit too contagious. He sat down next to the two merpeople, listening as they spoke.

"Ryou…. Bakura…" Sara seemed unsure of how to ask her question, slim arms tightening slightly on her son. "What… happened that day?"

Both males stayed quiet, Bakura not sure his story was all that convincing and Ryou not wanting to say anything about it at all. Instead, the queen posed another question:

"Is what Malik said true? Were you… did you really leave because of your father?"

Ryou blinked once before looking at his mother, "Malik said that?"

"In the end… because of the mating session?"

A quick shake of his head answered that, "Yes… I left early the next morning with Malik…. and I found his boat…" A coral – clad hand gestured over to a silent Bakura. "And I had to free his net otherwise he would have been in trouble, but then Atemu and Malik -"

"Atemu?" Sara inquired, "That shark who lives by the coves?"

"Yes, but he's fine, he really is… anyways, they freed the net before I could get to it and…" Ryou paused for a moment, only adding to the dramatic effect on his story. He shrugged after another moment, "…and it pulled me out of the water."

"How can you shrug at that?" Forest green eyes became worried, "You could have been gravely injured! Who knew what could have become of you!"

Ryou laughed slightly, feeling his cheeks begin to burn softly, "Well, I couldn't breathe for a moment or two, does that count?" He laughed again at the shocked expression his mother gave him, "But I was fine! I… I ended up with Bakura, so I was okay."

Attention was turned on to the white – haired teenager, Ryou flashing him another large grin, "And he took wonderful care of me."

Bakura gave a half – hearted grin back, still unable to come up with a plausible excuse for him not to have thrown the merboy back into the water.

"I did what I could." Was his only reply.

A spray of water washed over the three as a wave crashed against the rocks surrounding them, making the human wince slightly at the cool touch. Sara smiled at him, reaching out a hand to place it gently on his knee.

"Thank you."

Bakura nodded in response, still feeling a bit guilty. Hesitating, the human asked, "Does this mean you have to leave?"

The mermaid nodded once, her white hair falling over her shoulders. "Ryou and I must have a very serious talk with his father."

"No!" Ryou's thin body was suddenly out of his mothers embrace and sliding into Bakura's lap, his lower body curled around himself and hands gripping the human's leg. "I want to stay here with Bakura!"

"Ryou…" Sara leaned towards the two, now reclining back against the tall rocks that provided them protection from prying eyes. "This must be resolved with your father. After that… we will come back."

"To stay?" The hope portrayed in Ryou's green depths pulled at his mothers heart, "You know we cannot survive out of the water completely for so long… we need the ocean to live."

"He has a pool! Bakura was kind enough to fill it with our water!" Ryou felt the human's hands wrap around his torso, pulling him back to lean against his chest.

"Ryou, listen to me." Bakura nuzzled his nose against the others white hair, murmuring into his ear, "You can always come back to see me."

"You don't want me to stay?"

Bakura shook his head, "That's not what I'm saying at all, of course I want you to stay, I… well, I really like you, Kid. But… your mum's right, a pool is no place for a spunky little merguy like you to be cooped up in, you know? So, go home, work things out with your dad, and then we'll figure something out when you come back, okay?"

Ryou was silent for a moment, before slowly nodding. He tilted his head back to look the human in the eyes, "I really like you too."

Bakura grinned, tightening his grasp around the young male in his arms, before leaning down slightly to gently brush his lips over the others in a chaste kiss.

"Meet me back here at sunset, alright? Now get on home and hurry back, I already miss you."

The merboy grinned widely and nodded, looking towards his softly smiling mother, "I'm ready to go."

Sara was in the water first, turning to wait for her son. Ryou slipped down into the cool water soon after, looking back up at the human. His mother disappeared under the water a few moments later, deciding to give the two some privacy.

Bakura knelt down in front of the merboy, watching as Ryou lifted his arms, removing the shelled necklace from around his neck. It was soon placed around his own neck, the shell hanging down against his breast. Feeling his hands taken in another pair, the human smirked lightly, leaning down to meet the younger male in another kiss, slowly breaking away.

"I want you to hold onto my necklace for me."

The human nodded, one hand raising to wrap around the long shell, his other lifting Ryou's and laying a soft kiss on the back of his hand. The smaller boy flushed lightly, meeting Bakura's eyes for a moment longer and then silently slipping down underneath the water.

Bakura watched as the dark body glided over the white sand, soon disappearing within the depths of the ocean. Sighing softly to himself, the white – haired teen jumped down from behind the cluster of rocks, looking around for his dogs.

-

"You have a relationship with that human?"

Ryou looked over to his mother, drawn out of his thoughts by her question.

"Err… sort of."

"Sort of?"

The prince looked ahead of him as they moved quickly through the water, tails flicking in rhythm.

"Yeah… sort of."

"How can you 'sort of' have a relationship with someone, especially a human?"

Ryou cracked a small smile, "That's a good question… I guess…" He paused, searching for the right words, "…because it's new and we still don't know each other all that well, I guess… it's a little awkward. I mean… we haven' made anything official or anything… you know?"

Sara nodded, looking away from her son and continuing on in silence.

"Are you… going to disown me now?"

The queen stopped swimming abruptly, Ryou slowly down and looking back at her.

"Disown you?"

Ryou nodded, holding his arms across his chest. His mother moved towards him, shaking her long, white hair, "I would _never_ disown you, you are my son! You should do what makes you happy and I will support you in whatever you choose."

"…And father?"

Sara smiled, gently cupping his face with on hand, "Darling, don't you worry about your father, I will handle him."

Ryou nodded again, a small smile returning to his lips, "Thank you."

Dark green eyes met lighter with a larger smile, before nodding one last time, "Come then, we have a king to deal with."

-

Bakura entered his uncle's house with Sai and Kai on his heels, looking around the room for a moment and seeming lost.

Was it just him or did this house seem larger and emptier than when he had first arrived?

Shaking his head, Bakura patted Kai's head as he nudged his cold nose against his palm. Letting out a small whine, two sets of brown eyes looked up at him.

"I know…" Mahogany orbs looked around the foyer absently, "It's weird without him here, even if he did just stay in the pool…"

Silence filtered in again, only to be broken as Kai trotted down the hallway, his nails clicking in rhythm against the wood.

Bakura sighed, looking back down at the remaining dog by his side. Sai met her current master's gaze, ears swiveling forward and back again, head cocked slightly to the side. Opening her mouth in a sudden grin, her pink tongue rolled out in soft pants, dark eyes bright with happiness. Unable to help the small grin that formed across his lips at the dogs sudden display of happiness, he felt a little better, reaching down to scratch Sai behind the ears.

"C'mon Sai, let's go watch some tv."

---

To Be Continued

---

Cloaked Vampire: So, I'm very proud of this chapter… I felt bad with the last one because it didn't meet my expectations either, like I said before… I just didn't know where I was going, so more smex was the answer, right XD So, yeah, now I know where this is going and how it's going to end. One more chapter should do it. Two if I stretch it… we'll see how it goes. You guys better review, I need encouragement! 'Vita knows it takes hell to motivate me most of the time… XD


	7. Those Darn Maakin

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 7: Those Darn Maakin

-

Author's Note: One chapter left people : 3 I'm so excited… and I just can't hide it… dah dahdah dah dah… yeah, you know the rest. I stretched it just for you guys… and added my attempt at some humor :o Beware.

-

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, I've been considering it for awhile, but I just wasn't sure when and even if I should ask you."

"Of course you should have asked me, you're my favorite nephew!"

"I'm your only nephew."

"All the more reason to go along."

"So, is that a yes? Really?"

"If you can enter, I would be glad to help out in any way possible."

A wide grin spread across thin lips, "Excellent."

-

Sighing softly to himself, Ryou inched a bit closer to his mother as they swam through their small village, trying to ignore everyone around them."

"Why is everyone staring?"

Sara laughed slightly, grabbing her son's wrist and pulling him along a bit faster.

"It's what you get for disappearing on us."

Ryou fell silent as they passed through the gates, leading to their home, feelinghis stomach sink.

"What if Father is angry?"

"He won't be."

"How do you know?"

The queen smiled again, "Because I know."

He went silent again; dread beginning to seep through his veins as they drew closer to his father's throne room. A sudden though occurred to him.

"Where's Malik?"

"RYOU!"

His question was answered almost immediately as a sudden body connected with his own, knocking him backwards in a flash of gold. Arms wound around his pale body in a crushing embrace, much like his mother's had.

"Ryou! I was so worried, I went out everyday with Atemu and sometimes Leia and we looked and looked but you were never there and I felt so bad, it's all my fault this all happened!" The pressure increased on his chest as Malik buried his head against the other's neck.

"Malik, let go for a moment!" Ryou grinned as he spoke, attaching himself to his guardian as soon as he was let go of. "It's not your fault, don't worry, I'm fine, see?"

The elder nodded once, before lavender eyes met a dark green, his expression quickly turning to one of question, "Where did you find him?"

"A human had him and, apparently, had been taking care of him." Sara smiled slightly, before moving forward and rounding the corner to the throne room with a flick of her tail.

"A human?" Malik turned his attention back down to the prince in his arms, "The human from the boat?"

"Yes!" Bright green eyes lit up in excitement, "The exact same one! Oh Malik, he is amazing! He lives in this building; it's nearly as big as our castle! And he had two dogs, Sai and Kai -"

"Dogs?"

"These big… furry pts, they're so friendly, you should see!"

"But, that human, he took you…"

"Malik, h didn't… well, he _did_, but… I _wanted_ to be taken, don't you remember? The whole reason I left in the first place -"

"Yes, and that's a foolish wish, Ryou, to want to be taken away by some human… do you know how dangerous that is?"

The white – haired prince nodded, "Yes… but, look what I've found because of it."

His name being called from the throne room interrupted their conversation, making the blonde loosen his grip from around the other. Grabbing his guardians hand as he pulled away, Ryou led the second merman in the direction of his parents. Their hands separated in the presence of his father though, the same dread as before settling down in the pit of Ryou's stomach.

"Hello, Father." Green eyes shifted down and landed on the floor, his voice a soft mutter.

"Welcome back, Ryou, where have you been."

The younger internally wince, noting that it wasn't a question.

Breathing in deeply, he lifted his gaze back up to his fathers, a frown set on his pale face, "I was with a human."

"A human! What were you doing with a human?" Roden's voice increased in volume, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ryou shifted a bit uncomfortably, though his eyes still held their defying look, "I had left home and was unintentionally captured by his fishing boat. He took me to his home while I was unconscious and took care of me until Mother… somehow… came in contact with Bakura. And here I am."

Roden opened his mouth to speak, when his wife cut him off, "Ryou, tell your father why you left."

Slim arms crossed a pale chest, "I left because you were forcing me into relations I didn't want."

"Why didn't you say something?" The king's blue eyes softened slightly.

"I did!" Ryou's white hair floated out behind him as he made frustrated gestures with his now uncurled arms, "But you wouldn't listen! As if you _ever_ do! I told you what I like and what I don't like when it comes to genders, but you just wouldn't have it and you continued to push me and push me and… and… " He took a moment to gather another breath, "Why would I stay around a place where I'm forced into things I don't want to do? Yeah, mum said there are things in life I'm not going to like doing but this is something I _know_ I have a choice in and I have chosen not to mate with a woman!"

Silence slowly crept in around the four merpeople as Ryou's mouth closed, his vibrant green eyes blazing with a mix of anger and hurt, trained directly on his father. The other two didn't dare say a word, not quite sure what to say anyways. Finally, Ryou lowered his gaze, his expression taking on more of a sorrowful look. Curling his arms back around himself, he said:

"Father… please. I can't do this right now… maybe when I'm older, maybe my mind will change, I don't know. But… I just… I _can't_…"

Roden lowered his head slightly after a moment, before taking a deep breath and looking down at his son.

"Alright… you win. I'm not going to push you anymore. If you don't want to mate right now, you don't have to. Amane has already agreed to it whole-heartedly, so I suppose that will have to be good enough for now."

Ryou slowly nodded, feeling his mother's warm embrace around his shoulders. A gentle kiss was pressed into his cheek, making him sigh softly and close his eyes, turning his head towards her collar.

"You know we will always love you, Ryou, no matter what you chose or whom you chose to be with."

He nodded again, opening his eyes and looking towards Malik. The blonde smiled slightly at him, nodding in agreement as well. Glancing up at his mother, Ryou said, "I'm going back to see him now."

"He said sunset. It's only been a few hours."

A small pout crossed his lips as he pulled away from the mermaid, seeming to be trying to come up with a plan of how to pass the time. Malik searched for his own ideas, the first not being one of his favorites, but something to do none the less.

"Leia doesn't know you're back, she was worried about you too."

Ryou moved passed Malik with a twist of his tail, grabbing his hand as he glided by. Pulling the elder boy along, he bid farewell to his parents, quickening his pace in case they decided not to let him go as a last minute change of heart.

-

Bored.

_So bored_.

Bakura laid an arm across his closed eyes, tilting his head back into the pillows adorning the couch he was sprawled out across. Letting out a low groan, he turned his head towards the flashing television, a mutter mixing in: "I'mmm sooooo booorrrreeedddd…"

A wet nose pushed against his hand, alerting the white haired male that one of the dogs had come to say hello. Stretching his fingers, Bakura slowly scratched the animal's head, making his way down behind an ear. Shifting his arm slightly, one mahogany eye cracked open, noting the black stripe of fur between dark brown eyes.

"What's up, Kai?"

A small whine answered him, turning quickly into a short bark, the dog beginning to bounce around on his paws, his tail swishing behind him.

Smirking slightly at his companion's anticipation, Bakura pulled his arm away, flipping himself over onto his stomach and then rising up to his knees. Leaning down to grab the remote that had fallen to the floor with his movements, the teen began flipping quickly through the channels until he reached the one he had been searching for.

"5:42… geeze, I must have slept for longer than I thought, plus an hour of tv… I guess it makes sense…" A pale hand wandered over his face as he spoke to himself, twisting his features for a moment. Glancing down, he smirked again, dark brown eyes still fixed on him and tail moving a bit faster. "Yeaaahh, alright, c'mon, let's trek down and wander the beach for a bit."

Kai barked again, trotting out of the large room as Bakura stood up, clicking the tv off as he did so. Dropping the remote down onto the cushions and grabbing his sunglasses from the coffee table, bare feet followed the dog's trail, lifting pale arms above his head in a stretch as he walked.

"Saaaiii…" He called out, placing the black shades on the front of his nose, "Sai, c'mon girl, we're going down to the water, get your ball!"

A scrabble of nails against linoleum was heard almost instantly, the second german shepherd rounding the corner of the kitchen. Padding past Bakura, the animal stuck her head under the table against the wall, shifting around a bit before pulling out a bright orange ball. Grinning her doggy grin with a mouthful of slobbery rubber, Sai trotted back towards the kitchen, rounding another corner and heading towards the sliding glass doors.

"Kai, let's go!" Bakura glanced down the hallway where the dog had disappeared, listening for any sounds of his location. Shaking his head, the male walked towards the glass doors, spotting Sai sitting patiently by the wooden panel, ball still in her mouth.

Sliding the door to the side, Bakura stepped outside, quickly followed by Sai and, soon enough, Kai. Closing the door back into place, he started around the empty pool, gazing into the dark green waters for a moment. Pulling his eyes away, he focused back on his two dogs, noting that they had already pushed past the doggy door.

Following down the steps, he walked leisurely across the warm sand, a finger pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, before both of his hands found their way into his baggy pockets. Surveying the beach, Bakura saw a few families here and there, a bit surprised that it wasn't more crowded.

_'Must be a wave of people in the afternoon and then they're gone by dinner.'_ He thought to himself, eyes trailing to a pair of children splashing each other in the shallow tide.

Looking away, Bakura watched as Sai her way back towards him, dropping her rubber ball at his feet and looking up at him expectantly. Reaching down and grabbing the toy, he let it fly through the air a ways down the sand, the animal immediately taking off after it. Doing the same as Kai came over for his own turn, Bakura backed up a bit, making sure both dogs were far enough away. Turning, he stated towards the small cluster of rocks that contained the tidal pool, noticing another small group of small children playing on the very rocks. Frowning slightly at the annoyance of having to now deal with the small brats, he decided to take a darker approach, wanting to know how gullible they were.

Making sure his sunglasses were placed squarely in front of his eyes, he let a smirk slide out across his lips, his shoulder soon pressing up against one of the taller rocks as he leaned against it, peering through the gap.

Two girls and a boy looking to be around the age of eight stood around the semi-shallow pool of water, looking quite distracted. The females crouched together, staring into the green water and pointing to whatever they were looking at. The boy was a few feet away and brandishing a thin stick, seeming to be having an imaginary battle with his invisible enemy.

Crossing his arms over his bare chest, Bakura tilted his head lazily to the side, clearing his throat.

"I wouldn't get too close to that water if I were you, girls."

Three sets of eyes rested on him as soon as he spoke, the small boy frowning and coming a few steps closer, stick still in his hand.

"Who're you."

Another smirk crossed his features, revealing conveniently slightly sharp canines, "Who are you?"

"I'm Christopher and I'm eight years old!" The young boy jabbed a thumb to his slightly puffed out chest before waving his stick around some more, "So don't come any closer!"

Bakura chuckled, laying a hand down on the german shepherds head that now sat at his feet, "Oh, a tough guy, huh? Not as tough as that monster in there."

He gestured towards the pool of water, throwing Sai's ball again with his other hand, quickly followed by Kai's. Turning his attention back on the kids, his smirk came back to play when he saw the nervous look on all of their faces.

"M-monster?" The brown-haired girl with pig tails stammered, looking between Bakura and the water.

"Oh yes, there's a monster in there."

"There's no monster in there, Rachel!" The small boy named Christopher interjected, "I've been here tons of times and never saw no monster!"

"Oh?" Bakura shifted his glasses from his eyes up into his white spikes, mahogany eyes fixed on the other male, "You've been lucky then. I've seen it; I'm surprised you haven't either."

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"Haven't you ever wondered…" The teenager stepped up onto the flat rocks and through the small gap, his hands moving back to his pockets, "…what that dark spot is at the bottom of every tidal pool?"

"That's just where the sun can't get to!" Christopher quickly came up to the elder boy and stood by his side, a deep frown on his young features, "Mommy said so!"

"That's because they didn't want you to know the truth." Bakura stepped up behind the two girls who had stood up as he approached. "There's a 20 foot Maakin that lives in each and every tidal pool in the world and, depending on how big the pool is, can have up to five in the same place."

"You're lying!" Short brown hair shook in front of blue eyes as Chris moved his head, "That's not even a word!"

"Isn't it?"

"Mister," The second blonde girl tugged on his shorts, trying to get his attention, "What's a Maakin?"

"It's nothing cuz it's not real, Amanda!" The younger boy was determined to prove the elder wrong.

"Believe it Shorty, it_ is_ real, I've seen it." Bakura looked towards the two girls again, "You've never heard of a Maakin? Geeze, what are your parent's not teaching you guys? It's sort of like an eel, only thicker, 20 feet in length, and it's black. It's got the speed of a cobra along with its killing accuracy." He paused, inwardly laughing like a maniac, "Can shock you just like _that_." He snapped his fingers, making all three children jump.

The pig-tailed girl looked back down at the water, seeming to search its depths, "Where is it? I don't see it."

"It's right there." A pale hand pointed over their shoulders, down towards the black portion of the water, "Keep looking, it'll move."

While the three children were focused down on the water, Bakura lifted a hand to adjust his glasses properly; tilting them slightly enough to catch the glare of the sun and direct it down towards the water like a magnifying glass. A small dot of orange light appeared in the water, reflecting off what Bakura guessed was a rock.

"Whoa, look out! It just opened its eye!"

The two girls both let out shrieks and Christopher gasped, all backing away from the water.

"See? What did I tell you?"

"C'mon, Rachel… I don't wanna play here anymore." Amanda pulled her friend further away from the water.

"Yeah… Chris, c'mon, let's go do something else." The brown haired girl disappeared past the small gap, leaving Bakura and Christopher alone.

Stick still in his hand, the small male started towards the opening, before stopping and turning towards Bakura.

"You're a big fat liar."

"And you're a puny little brat."

Christopher made a face at the older boy, sticking his small tongue out in the process.

Bakura wrinkled his nose, returning the gesture whole-heartedly until the other disappeared as well. Laughing to himself, he pulled his glasses back down over his eyes, the glare from the setting sun beginning to hurt his eyes. His hand lowered down onto his chest afterward, his fingers curling around the twisted shell lying idle as his thoughts began to wander back to the owner.

"So, is there an educational reason you torment the little children or is it just for fun?"

---

To Be Continued

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Cloaked Vampire: Mwaha, I had exams this week and everything AND I still managed a whole 9-paged chapter : D Bow down! Booowwww… or review. Reviewing would be equally satisfying : 3


	8. A Pleasant Ending

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 8: A Pleasant Ending

-

Author's Note: Heh… so, yeah, this is totally late. I have my reasons o.o They're mostly at the end, but I'll just say this: I started three new stories because of one game. Evil. Eviilllllll. So read XD It _is_ the last chapter and all : 3

-

Hearing the soft voice spoken behind him, Bakura looked over his shoulder, a small grin spreading across his lips.

"Oh, for fun, no doubt about that."

Bright green eyes watched him from the water, pale arms folded on the edge of the smooth, partially moss covered rocks. An amused smile broke out over the young prince's face, his cheeks seeming to be colored a pale pink in the sun's red light. Bakura turned fully towards the ocean, taking a few steps and kneeling down in front of the merboy.

Ryou immediately lifted his arms to wrap them around the human's neck, the two meeting in a small kiss. Bakura took this opportunity to lift the aquatic male from the water by grasping him under his raised arms and lifting him flush against his body.

"I missed you." The elder whispered as he nuzzled his nose against Ryou's neck. "How did things go?"

The younger boy smiled as he hugged Bakura tightly, before pulling away enough to look the human in his eyes.

"I missed you too… and things went fine with my father, that is, after I argued my way to a win."

"Oh? And just what - "

"Hey, c'mon now, no love for me?"

"Hey, what about me? That should be an 'us'!"

The small conversation was broken by the voices of others, causing the pair on the rocks to look downwards. The smile on Ryou's face widened further, "Malik!"

"Oh, so this is Malik, huh?" Bakura smirked down at the blonde, "I saw you try and jump up on my boat, right? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Malik shook his head, pulling himself up onto the rocks with a wet plop, "Nah, I was fine… just thought Ryou was in danger, was all… sorry about the whole 'monster' thing… I hear from Ryou you're an all right guy."

Bakura let out a short laugh, sitting down heavily next to golden merboy, with Ryou curling contently in his lap.

"Just all right?"

A small giggled came from in front of him, a pale red-head staring up at him, "You must be more than all right for Ryou to want to become your mate!"

"Leia!" Both males from the sea turned quickly to face the young mermaid, Ryou's cheeks burning brightly at his green eyes flashed. The girl quickly covered her mouth with both her hands, ducking down partially in the water.

"Sorry!"

A lone eyebrow arched itself above dark sunglasses, before the gaze shifted down to the merboy sitting rigidly in his lap. Slipping his arms around the others chest, Bakura pulled him back so he could look at the boy from over his shoulder, "Oh, a mate? Is that what you've been after?"

Ryou flushed darkly, unsure of whether he would first die of embarrassment from the entire situation or a heat stroke from his face. Covering his eyes with a hand, the white – haired prince shook his head slightly, before taking a deep breath.

"…Uhm… this isn't how I wanted you to find out, really… but… I mean… this _really_ isn't the time to be discussing such matters, so thank you, _Leia_…"

The female rolled her eyes, leaning against the rock in front of them as Malik had been doing before, "Oh, come on, it's just so obvious, you may as well just have admitted it now and gotten it over with, right? Besides," A playful smirk crossed her features as she looked up at Bakura with a tilted head, "it's harder for him to say no in front of a group."

Bakura laughed again and squeezed Ryou around the middle, "She's got a point there, Kid. And besides, this actually is a decent time to talk about this considering it would be part of how often we saw each other and stuff. Right? I mean… isn't that what we're supposed to be figuring out ultimately?"

Ryou nodded, removing his hands from his face and revealing only lightly flushed skin. "Yeah… any ideas while I was gone?"

"Actually…" The teenager shifted slightly, uncurling his legs from under Ryou and stretching them out, letting the merboy settle down on the rock between his limbs, "I think I've got the hard part figured out."

"Wait, so… what are we actually trying to figure out here again?" Malik leaned back on his right hand, laying his ear against his shoulder as he flicked his tail up and down in the water.

"I want to be able to stay with Bakura, but we need the ocean to live, right?" Ryou explained, looking over to his guardian, "So how would it be possible to stay together?"

"Oh." Malik's violet eyes broke away from Ryou's at a foreign sound coming from behind him. Tilting his head back, his eyes widened slightly and he righted himself quickly, ready to move away.

"Wooow, what are those!" Leia's question caused the two albinos' to turn their attention to behind them, identical grins spreading across their lips.

"Sai! Kai!" Ryou twisted his body and held his arms open, laughter bubbling up out of him as the two dogs bounded into his embrace, both licking his face happily. "Oh, I missed you both!"

"Are those the two you were telling me about, Ryou?" Malik seemed to relax a bit at the nod he received, reaching out a tentative hand and feeling the thick fur that covered one of the animal's backs.

"I want to touch them!" Leia reached out as well, earning the attention of Kai, who promptly began to attack her face with his tongue. She let out a string of giggles, burying her fingers into the brown coat.

"Alright, alright…" Bakura pulled an excited Ryou back against his chest after a moment, "Sai, Kai, settle down."

Both dogs obeyed after a delayed moment, sitting down on their haunches next to the aquatic teens.

"So, as I was saying, I think I've figured out the hardest part of this situation, if you're interested in hearing it." Bakura continued, looking for mainly Ryou's answer.

"Yes, please tell me." The younger boy adjusted his body so that he could look up at the human a bit more easily, his green eyes watching the other male intently.

"Well, I talked to my uncle a little after you left, cuz, you know… I'm only here for the summer."

"The summer?" Ryou's eyes grew larger, his expression one of pure worry, "That's all? Then you leave and I'll never see you again!"

Bakura shook his head, brushing a hand past the prince's drying bangs, "Now, just listen, Kid, I talked with him. I've been looking for a college to go to for a bit now and he said that if I can get into the one around here, he'd let me use his beach house as a place to stay instead of having to go and pay for a dorm room or my own apartment."

"Yes!" Ryou's face immediately changed as he heard the news, "That is a wonderful idea!"

"Is that all there is to figure out?" Malik asked, watching the human.

"That didn't sound so hard to figure out." Leia placed her chin in her hand, Kai lying down next to her.

Bakura shook his head, "Maybe because I did all the thinking before hand, but I needed Ryou to figure out when would be a good time to see each other."

"I'm usually free at anytime, but if we were to meet here, what about the humans that roam the beach? We could be caught!" Ryou frowned at the idea, crossing his arms over his stomach and leaning against Bakura's chest in a small huff.

"Yes, I thought of that too… we could go about this a few ways, really." Bakura hugged the merboy to his chest, using one hand to run his fingers up and down the others arm. "One way is to meet here and I would take you up to the pool, where I could keep you for a few days, like I have been. Then I could return you back to the ocean and you spend time with your family" He paused for a moment, looking down at Ryou for a reaction and, when he got none, continued on, "Or, I think we could meet here at sunset like this and spend the nights together, right out here so you could leave in the morning, before any people got out here to the beach."

"I think I like the first idea better." Tanned fingers swiped at the blonde bangs falling into his eyes, before looking over to the prince sitting in the human's lap.

"Yeah, I like that one too." Leia stroked Kai's head, the animal's tail wagging across the stone. "What do you think, Ryou?"

Green eyes looked up at Bakura, a wide smiling gracing his features again, "I like the first idea as well."

Bakura smirked and hugged Ryou to his chest, pressing his nose into silvery locks, "Good."

The prince slid his arms around the human's chest as he returned the hug, closing his eyes as a soft spray of water sprinkled over his back.

"Well," Malik looked over towards Leia, seeing that she was petting the dog next to her like he was a moment again, "I think we should probably get back."

"Aww, but I want to stay with the furry things!" The mermaid wrapped her arms around Kai's neck affectionately, pressing her cheek against the thick fur.

"That's Kai." Corrected Ryou as he twisted his neck to look back at his friends, "And you guys go on ahead… I want to stay a few minutes longer."

Malik nodded, scooting forward and slipping back into the water beside Leia, "Alright, but don't stay too long, or it's my tail on the line for you coming home late!" He grinned sheepishly before adding, "Queen's orders to the Guardian, remember?"

Ryou pouted softly, turning his head to rub his cheek against Bakura's chest, "You see what happens… I come home and immediately it's rules, rules, rules…"

Bakura chuckled, sending vibrations through the male leaning against him, "Your mum's just worried about you, don't worry… I'm sure it's probably just for tonight."

The aquatic prince nodded, a small smile returning to his lips.

"See you at home Ryou!" His guardian grinned up at him, before sinking down into the water with a wave.

"Aw… but… furry things!" Leia gave a sigh as she felt a tug on her fin, indicating for her to go. "Fine… bye Ryou!"

Ryou gave a small wave to the girl before she disappeared, turning his attention immediately back to the human. Raising his hands, he carefully removed the glasses covering Bakura's eyes and placed them over his own, his smile turning into a silly grin.

"Now I look like you." He stated proudly, arching his back slightly and crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt of an intimidating manner. "It's so dark though… how can you see?"

"The sun's just about gone, so of course you can't see." Bakura laughed, slipping the glasses off the merboy and placing them back in his hair.

Ryou giggled softly and looked down, suddenly feeling shy, "Uhm, listen… about that whole… mate thing Leia brought up earlier…"

Bakura broke his sentence off with a gentle kiss as he raised his chin with a finger, "Let's just see where this goes first, before making any serious decisions… okay?"

The younger male nodded in agreement, unable to keep the smile off his lips, "But, you're still willing to try? Really? Even though I'm… we're… so different?"

Another kiss began the answer, "I wasn't lying earlier when I said I really liked you. You _are_ different and I like that."

Ryou watched the dark eyes above him carefully, before nodding again, "And like I said, I really like you too."

Bakura grinned, "I know… you should be getting back home though, I don't want to get you in trouble."

"I won't be, don't worry… I'll tell Mother what we're going to be doing and I'll see you tomorrow night… right?"

"You bet, Kiddo."

Ryou turned slightly, patting Sai on the head. She perked her ears at the attention she was receiving, lifting her head up from the rock.

"Goodbye Sai, I'll see you tomorrow." The white haired boy moved carefully forward on his scaly body, the small fins at the base of his tail twitching slightly at the cooling touch of the water. He patted Kai as well as he slipped past him, submerged up to his stomach in the slightly foaming water.

Bakura had quickly shifted closer, balancing on the balls of his bare feet as he as Ryou share another lingering kiss. Slowly breaking away, the merboy lifted a hand, his fingers lightly wrapping around the shell still hanging against the human's chest. Giving the elder male another smile, Ryou pulled himself away, before disappearing under the dark water's surface.

Standing up, Bakura looked out towards the direction he thought Ryou might have headed, but saw only waves. Smirking slightly, he turned to make his way out of the circle of rocks, calling back:

"C'mon Sai, Kai… let's go home. We'll be back tomorrow."

---

Owari

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Cloaked Vampire: Zomglolbbq!1! It's over XD So sad, I know, but these last couple chapters have been being a royal pain in the ass to me, so, I'm sorta glad it's over and done with. So yeah : 3 Oh right… I should totally explain why this is kinda late… I rented Kingdom Hearts II last Thursday and made a personal challenge to beat it before I had to return it… so… that's kinda what I spent the past 43 hours doing XD And omg I DID IT. -so proud- Plus laziness when I wasn't playing at 4 in the morning… my gods, the laziness doesn't end XD…


	9. The Real Ending AKA Epilogue

Fish Out of Water

Epilogue

-

Author's Note: Cuz I just had to treat you all one more time : 3

-

_Have you ever heard of that thing called love?_

_I never used to think abut it, really._

_I always thought, 'Hey… I've got time, why think long term now? Just have fun while you can and make the best of what comes along with it.'_

_Well…_

He reached down, slipping his arms under thin shoulders as he had done so many times in the past. Smiles and kisses were exchanged, a few hugs here and there.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

It has been nearly two months now since their relationship had blossomed and it was still flowing smoothly. Of course they had had a few arguments here and there, but that was to be expected. They both felt something strong for each other and they knew it.

That couldn't be changed.

"I want to show you something different tonight."

"What is it?"

Bakura grinned, shaking his head slightly as he shifted the merboy in his arms to be carried more comfortably. His eyes were still covered by his black sunglasses, as they always had been.

"You'll see."

Ryou nestled himself against the bare chest as he was carried across the sand, placing a single hand against the toned flesh. He smiled up at the human, wondering what his lover was planning. Barking caught his attention and the happiness on the prince's face grew, his arms reaching out to pat the two german shepherds that came bounding down the stairs towards them.

"Hi guys!"

His giggling voice always made Bakura smile when he heard Ryou talking to the dogs. He stopped though, the duo jumping up on their hind legs to lick at any part of the merboy they could reach, their tails wagging in the air all the more quickly.

"I know, I know, I missed both of you too!"

Bakura maneuvered himself around the animals, laughing a bit himself as they continued to bark and yip excitedly, following him back up the stairs and nearly tripping him. He pushed past the short door with his hip, careful of Ryou's hanging tail.

Usually, they stayed by the pool for the three days they were together, but not tonight. He wasn't saying that he didn't like the pool, don't get that impression, no… he had even dragged out a cot he had found in the closet in his room to use instead of thatthin lawn chair.

Geeze had he been questioned about _that_.

A lawn chair was understandable, but a cot? Well, I guess the maids found that a little past strange. But, it was still his house for the summer, so damn it; he wanted a cot by the pool, end of story.

He was climbing the winding staircase up to his room now, following the halls past one of the bathrooms, a few closets, the extra rooms… and finally, into his room. He really only used this room when he wasn't spending his nights with Ryou, so it was still moderately clean as far as seeing the carpet went, though some of his clothes did seem to have found their way onto the floor, a desk chair, and random doorknobs.

Placing Ryou down on the end of his bed, Bakura took his glasses off and placed them on the bridge of the boy's nose, their eyes meeting for a moment before green vanished behind black -tintedglass. As soon as the elder straightened with a small smile, Ryou's attention was immediately taken by the two dogs.

Ryou seemed to have a thing for his sunglasses.

It was kinda weird, but cute at the same time.

Leaving the three of them alone for a moment, Bakura slid open the glass doors that led to his balcony, a breeze washing over him as soon as he did so.

Backtracking out of the room, the white haired teenager trailed down to one of the spare bedrooms and walked in. Making a line straight to the fluffy-looking bed, he began gathering the blankets against his chest.

"Bakura?"

He stopped his movements, "Yeah?" He called back, listening for an answer.

"Where did you go?"

"Hang on." He pulled the large bundle of material against himself and turned towards the doorway, slowly making his way back to his room by memory, considering his view was blocked by the burgundy mass.

Ryou gently pulled the glasses from his eyes as he watched as his human companion carefully made his way back into the room, a large ball of blankets bundled against his body. He stifled a laugh at the sight and placed the accessory back into his hair as he had seen Bakura do so many times before, eyes widening as Kai left his side, only to dance around Bakura's legs.

"Stupid… dog, _mov_e!" A bare foot kicked lightly at the animal, only to find that Kai came right back, making his current master lose his balance and fall forward into the blankets he carried. He stayed still for a moment, before his head lifted to give a very annoyed look to the brown eyes that grinned back at him. Kai licked his cheek and, with a touch of his cold nose, jumped over him to sit back in front of a giggling Ryou.

"Aww, 'Kura, he loves you so much!" The smaller male laughed, flashing the elder an innocent grin.

Shaking his head again, Bakura raised himself back to his feet and began gathering the blankets once more. Transferring them a bit more gracefully this time to the balcony, he stepped back into his room with another breeze blowing through his hair. Looking towards the merboy still sitting on his bed, he moved forward with a smirk, catching the merboy's attention as he gently straddled his red lap, pressing him back into the soft sheets.

Interlacing their fingers, Bakura grinned down at the slightly blushing boy, pressing their noses together in an affectionate gesture. Tilting his head, he pressed his lips down onto a waiting pair, slightly parted for easy access.

_I've been thinking a lot lately…_

He kept the kisses simple at first, as he always had; waiting with the unnatural patience he had developed for Ryou to fall comfortable. His tongue was quickly pulled into play by the younger, sending a shiver up his spine as it was gently sucked on.

Bakura pulled away all too reluctantly, burying his face in the snowy locks of the merboy and inhaling deeply, groaning softly as his scent caused the wheels in his mind to momentarily stop. Gathering his senses back, he gently nipped at the pale throat next to him.

_Maybe… I was wrong…_

"I've gotta move you for a minute, 'kay?"

A small whine answered him, along with the fingers unlocking from his own and wrapping around his neck.

He smiled.

_I've never smiled so damn much…_

Pulling himself up from the bed, the aquatic male came up with him as he stood, soon being placed back down into a velvet chair, that sunk under his weight. Ryou watched as the blankets were taken from the mattress he had previously been resting against and were dragged out onto the balcony as well, soon followed by a good amount of pillows. Removing the sunglasses from his hair and placing them on the desk behind him, he asked:

"'Kura, will you tell me what you're doing?"

Bakura looked up towards the sky for a moment, before grinning back at the prince, "Yeah, in a minute."

Moving out of view for a moment, the human soon returned to Ryou's side, lifting him up and minding not to trip over the dogs that had gotten up off the floor to follow them. Walking out onto the rounded balcony for the final time, he carefully placed the merboy down into the mass of blankets that covered the left corner. Taking a seat next to him, Bakura relaxed with a heavy sigh, his head tipping back into one of the pillows. The thin body curled partially on his chest and he draped an arm around Ryou's shoulders, holding him close to his form.

"You've been practicing, right?"

"Practicing wha-… oh. Oh, yes, of course, I have!" Ryou quickly remembered what Bakura was talking about. His father, of all merpeople, had told him a few weeks back that his family was known to have a special trait in their bloodline. He had asked what it was, only to find out that he had the ability to take in and retain water within his scales, allowing him to be out of and away from water for an extended period of time. All he needed was to practice.

"Good… I don't want you drying out on me. I'd shoot myself if that happened." He chuckled slightly, rubbing the smooth skin on the other's back.

They both watched as the two dogs found spots around them to lie down, Kai stepping over Bakura to curl up in the open space between his outstretched legs and the plaster railing, while Sai hunkered down against the curve in Ryou's red fin. The smaller male buried his fingers into the brown fur behind him with a small smile, feeling the body moving as she panted happily.

"Did I tell you?" Bakura's voice caught his attention this time.

"Tell me what?"

"I was accepted."

Ryou craned his neck to look up into the mahogany that gazed back down at him after a moment, "The college place? Really?"

Bakura nodded, a smile slowly growing to match the size of the merboys, "Yeah… I keep forgetting to call my uncle and tell-- "

A loud tune suddenly pierced the air, though muffled by the rough material of Bakura's shorts. Blinking in surprise, Bakura looked down and Ryou sat up slightly, the two dog's ears perking up, but keeping their heads lowered to the blankets. Reaching into the pocket halfway down his thigh, a cell phone was withdrawn, the music playing louder now that it was free of its prison. Flipping it open with his thumb, Bakura settled back into the pillow as he put the small device to his ear, placing his arm back around Ryou's shoulders.

"Yeah?"

Ryou laid back down against the human's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and feeling the vibrations as he spoke.

"Oh, hey Ken, what's going on?" Ryou heard the waves of the ocean far below them in the gaps of silence, "Yeah, I got accepted, I was gunna to call you earlier, but… forgot… what? Why's mum there?"

Bakura sighed in aggravation after a short moment, closing his eyes as he waited for his mother to be put on the phone. Ryou took this moment to shift his position around to face the human, sitting up to try for a small kiss, only to be gently pushed away as dark eyes opened and his head tilted away, "Hello, Mother… no… no…"

A pout crossed Ryou's pale features for a moment, before he changed his mind. Okay then…

Lowering himself back down, the prince opened his mouth again, letting his tongue slip out to graze over the slightly darker skin under him. Bakura shifted slightly but continued to answer his mother's never-ending barrage of questions, paying little heed to Ryou's wandering mouth. He jumped though, when a shiver racked his body, a hot tongue toying with his nipple.

"Jesus, stop that!" He hissed, though Ryou knew he didn't really mean that, considering that there was no movement to push him away again. "No, mum, there isn't a girl here with me – no… no! Geeze, I was talking to the dog."

Ryou continued, soon leaving his chest and making his way up onto his neck, nipping and kissing softly at the skin, making Bakura tilt his chin up.

"No, the college starts in November and Uncle Ken said – he said…" He was going to lose focus on this conversation, "He said that I could stay here if I got accepted… yeah, okay, put him back on... I love you too, bye."

Lips immediately met his as soon as he finished speaking, which he accepted all too easily. Hearing another voice in his ear, Bakura tilted his head again, slightly breathless, "Yeah, what is it? ...Okay… okay, yeah, that's no problem… see you."

He closed the phone and pocketed it, accepting the the kisses being offered from the body on his again. Pulling back after another moment, he said, "Look, you're gunna to miss what I brought you up here for."

Satisfied, heturned over again and settled down into his original position, Ryou's eyes following Bakura's finger, which was pointing out towards the ocean. A smile spread across his moist lips at the sight, taking in the sun melting down into the turquoise water, making the sky around it brilliant hues of red. A few birds squawked as they flew over the ocean, disappearing into the waves, before shooting back up with a fish in their beaks.

"Nice, huh? I thought you'd like the view from up here."

Ryou nodded, nuzzling down against Bakura's side, "Thank you, it is beautiful."

_I am thinking long term…_

Bakura nodded as well as his arms pulled Ryou closer, staring out at the water through the white posts of the railing.

After a small silence, the merboy spoke, "You're not going away, right? Your uncle… he's not making you leave, is he?"

"Nah, but there is a small catch for staying here longer."

"What's that?"

"I have to let my family visit on occasion… so… that means I'm going to have to drain and refill the pool sometimes with chlorine." He gently shook the aquatic boy leaning against him, "So, you're going to have to practice extra hard at that retaining water thing, alright?"

Ryou giggled softly and nodded, "Okay… as long as you're not going anywhere."

_…And it's all because of this one kid…_

Bakura shook his head again, feeling another smile coming on, but tightened his hold on Ryou instead.

"No… I really don't think I am."

_So, you still remember that thing called love?_

_Well, I've been thinking about it more and more often._

_And, you know what I think?_

_I think I found it._

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Okay, the serious End.

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Cloaked Vampire: Yatta! A much better ending, don't you think? I tied up all the loose ends (I think), my own sad, sad attempt at a little bit of humor and, uh… yeah. I think that's about it. I'm very happy with this, compared to my last attempt at an ending… I shouldn't rush :o Please tell me what you think! Encouragment brings new stories : 3


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